I'm A Lefty

Bittersweet December

"Now that Christmas time is here, I'll be thinking of the joy we shared at this special time of year."

Prompt: It's the most wonderful time of the year. Well, it's said to be.

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As Gina hung up decorations on their beautiful Christmas tree, she came across a glass ornament with a small blue handprint, done in paint, on its front. Written in cursive beneath the handprint was Brooks #3. At the site of the writing, Gina's eyes teared up and a small smile reached her face.

She reached down in the decoration box again, and she looked for two other particular ornaments. When she saw them, she carefully pulled them out of the box and cradled them gently. Two more glass ornaments, a yellow handprint on one and the other with a red handprint both done with paint, with the writings of Brooks #1 and Brooks #2 on them.

She smiled at the total of three ornaments in her hands, and then she hung them up neatly on the front of her tree. She remembers the day that these ornaments were made clearly. Ah yes, it was December 23, 1998. Her eldest son was five years old, and her other two boys were only three. The day went a little something like this:

"Mummy! Mummy! Look what we did!" Beau, who at the time had the normal high pitch of a five year old, screeched as he ran to his mother in the kitchen.

Gina, alarmed by the scream, directed her attention to Beau and then asked,

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing's wrong mamma. Look at my hands! They're yellow!" With a missing tooth he still managed to provide a contagious smile.

"My goodness! You have yellow hands Beau!" She laughed at her son amused.

"So do Luke and Jai. I painted Luke's hands red, and Jai's blue." He nodded in accomplishment.

"You did? Well where are they?" Gina asked, looking around for painted handprints that were expected to be all over her walls by now.

"In my room. Can we do something with our hands mummy?" Beau asked.

"We sure can. Why don't you go wait with your brothers, and I'll grab something we can decorate." Gina smiled as she gently ushered her son towards his room.

She gathered three spare glass ornaments, and then she went towards Beau's room.

In the room all three of her sons were sitting in a circle facing each other.

"Mummy look at me!" Luke and Jai yelled simultaneously, waving their colored hands around.

"My my! How colorful boys." She laughed.

She then sat down next to her boys, and she showed them the three glass ornaments she brought in.

"You each get one. With your painted hands, you can stamp your ornament. Then, I'll sign whatever you want underneath it." She instructed.

After all three boys had stamped their ornaments, with content smiles upon each one of their faces, Gina asked,

"What do you want me to write underneath yours Beau?"

With a small little finger tapping his head as he thought hard, his eyes eventually lit up as he came up with what he wanted.

"Brooks number one." He smiled.

"Ooh! I want Brooks number two!" Luke nodded excitedly.

"And I want Brooks number three mummy!" Jai added as he held up three small fingers.