A Boy and His Tati -- an Update

For this week's Photo Hunt -- pink -- I couldn't resist recycling a photo I featured a couple of years ago, which accompanied an essay about a 3-year old boy and his blankie (named "Tati"). In it, I made a prediction:

Someday, the boy will enter kindergarten, and on his first day, Tati will be with him. As he enters the door to his classroom, he will see his mama behind him, with her lower lip quivering and tears in her eyes. He will run back to her, give her a hug and hand her the Tati, saying, "Here mama, you need Tati more than I do."

And now that the boy is about to enter kindergarten, what of Tati? Well, two years later Tati is a bit shabbier and more threadbare. But it's still pink. And still loved. Tati no longer follows the boy everywhere, but he still keeps Tati on his bed. For when the boy needs it. Like when he got stung by bees, or ran a fever, or split his forehead open.

It doesn't look like the boy is going to need Tati with him on his first day of school. He's going to climb mountains and run races and build bridges all by himself. But when the day is done, he'll crawl into bed and have his Tati beside him, the last thing he cuddles before he falls asleep and the first thing he reaches for when he wakes up. Still giving him courage, reassurance, love and strength.

For more pink things, click here.