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Last Christmas, I sat on the floor surrounded by wrapping paper, new toys and happy kids, then 7 and 9. It was like being in a bubble bath with too much soap ― ribbons and bows flying as each new box was ripped open. It quickly became hard to tell what was a gift and what was trash.
The previous year, our 20-month-old son, Aiden, died unexpectedly during surgery to remove a tumor from his brain. It was our second Christmas without him, and I was still getting used to shopping for two kids instead of three.
“I think it’s Mom’s turn to open her stocking,” my husband, Nick, said.
My daughter brought it over to me, exaggerating her movements as she walked on her knees.
I pulled the first thing out of my stocking — a plastic, round button, like the kind you’d hit if you were on a game show. These are called Easy Buttons.
Usually, they’re bright red with white letters that spell out “Easy.” They became popular in 2005 when Staples began promoting, then selling them. The idea was that you could solve your problem just by hitting this button.
The one in my stocking looked like a knock-off ― it was just plain white with a black base.
I looked up at my husband from the floor with one eyebrow raised in confusion and annoyance.
“Is this for me?” I asked.
“Press it,” he replied.
I hadn’t noticed before, but the kids were watching me closely, waiting for me to press the button too. I pressed it and the room filled with sound.
There were muffled voices, and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to hear. Then I heard a high-pitched squeal that turned into a laugh. The room blurred, and when I raised my head to look at Nick, gravity took the tears from my eyes and pulled them down my cheeks. It…
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Source : yahoo
