raggedygift

The Christmas Gift

THIS IS A STORY OF A LADY I NEVER MET. IT IS ALSO A
STORY OF DAUGHTER WHO CARED DEEPLY FOR HER
MOTHER, AND FOR HER MOTHERS FRIENDS. IT IS A TRUE
STORY OF
"THE SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT"

THE STORY BEGINS ON

MARCH 10, 1998 7:34 PM

(A LETTER FROM BARBARA GARRETT)

" I LOVE YOUR RAGGEDY ANN"

MARCH 10, 1998 9:54 PM

" DEAR GLORIA,
I AM 59 FROM BOSTON MA. I HAVE BEEN MAKING RAGGEDY
ANN AND ANDY DOLLS FOR A YEAR NOW. I AM NOT A
PROFESSIONAL, BUT PEOPLE DO BUY MY DOLLS. I JUST
PURCHASED MY WEB TV TODAY , YOU'RE MY FIRST
CALLER. I AM SO PLEASED TO HEAR FROM YOU.
RAGGEDY BABS."

DECEMBER 12,1998 1:06 AM

THIS LETTER WAS SENT FROM RAGGEDY BABS
COMPUTER. "DEAR GLORIA , THIS IS THE SECOND LETTER
WE SENT TO YOU REGARDING BARBARA GARRETT. SHE
PASSED AWAY DECEMBER 10, 1998 OF A MASSIVE HEART
ATTACK. IF YOU COULD PLEASE SEND US YOUR ADDRESS
SO WE CAN SEND YOU SOMETHING.-----------
SINCERELY, GARRETT FAMILY"

DECEMBER 16, 1998

   (THIS IS THE LETTER I SENT TO DENICE)
"I GOT A GIFT TODAY. A GIFT FROM A FRIEND I HAVE NEVER MET.
       A GIFT- I THINK- THAT WAS MADE BY A PERSON I HAVE NEVER MET.
     WHAT A SPECIAL GIFT IT IS. IT IS A GIFT OF LOVE. WHAT EVER IT IS-
AS I HAVE NOT LOOKED IN THE BOX- IS FROM A FRIEND I WILL
    NEVER MEET AS SHE IS NO LONGER HERE. SHE LIVES IN ANOTHER
PLACE. A BETTER PLACE- WHERE LIFE NEVER ENDS. WHERE
   THERE IS NO PAIN OR WORRY. A PLACE WHERE MY SON AND MY
MOTHER LIVE. THE GIFT IS UNDER MY SMALL CHRISTMAS TREE.
I WILL OPEN IT ON CHRISTMAS EVE. " " AS I OPEN MY GIFTS- I WILL
THINK OF ALL MY FAMILY AND OF THOSE FROM WHOM THE
GIFTS CAME. WHEN I COME TO YOUR GIFT, I WILL THINK OF A
LADY I HAVE NOT MET. A LADY WHO ENJOYED HER COMPUTER,
BINGO AND HEARING FROM FRIENDS. HER LETTERS WERE NOT
LONG, BUT SHORT AND TO THE POINT. A NICE LADY WHO
ENJOYED MEETING MY RAGGEDY ANN AND HER WEB PAGE.
I AM SORRY I DO NOT HAVE HER LETTERS. (THEY WERE LOST IN
A COMPUTER UPDATE) SHE FORWARDED MANY WONDERFUL
    THINGS. I WILL THINK ABOUT THE DAUGHTER WHO WAS SO KIND
TO SEND ME A PART OF HER MOTHERS THINGS. A VERY
UNSELFISH PERSON. TEARS COME TO MY EYES AS I WRITE THIS.
WHAT A WONDERFUL THING AND WHAT A WONDERFUL
DAUGHTER. BARBARA GARRETT WOULD BE SO PROUD.
SOMETIME BACK I GOT A SHORT STORY OR POEM ABOUT
FRIENDS WITHOUT FACES. I WISH I STILL HAD IT. IT TOLD ABOUT
HOW THE COMPUTER HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE
TO BECOME FRIENDS THROUGH THE NET. A COMPUTER FRIEND
IS A FRIEND WHO PROBABLY KNOWS YOU BETTER THAN YOUR
GOOD FRIEND- SAY, NEXT DOOR. A COMPUTER FRIEND IS
SOMEONE WHO YOU CAN SHARE YOUR SECRETS AND YOUR
DREAMS WITH. YOU WILL PROBABLY NEVER MEET THIS
PERSON AND SELDOM KNOW WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE, BUT THEY
ARE YOUR FRIENDS. " FRIENDS WITHOUT FACES" THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR SENDING ME THIS MOST SPECIAL BOX.
IT WILL BE OPENED CHRISTMAS EVE."

DECEMBER 24, 1998 CHRISTMAS EVE IN BOSTON

ON CHRISTMAS EVE THE FAMILY GATHERED AT
THEIR MOTHERS HOME FOR ONE LAST CHRISTMAS
EVE CELEBRATION THERE. I HAD GONE OUT TO DINNER
AT A FRIENDS HOME. WHEN I RETURNED, THERE
WERE THREE MESSAGES ON MY ANSWERING
MACHINE. THEY HAD BEEN TRYING TO REACH ME
BEFORE THEY ALL WENT TO THEIR SEPARATE
HOMES. THE LAST MESSAGE SAID THEY WERE ALL
ABOUT TO LEAVE. THEN, IN THE BACK GROUND,
IN UNISON, I HEARD MANY VOICES, YOUNG AND OLD SAY

" MERRY CHRISTMAS GLORIA CHILDERS".
AND ONE SMALL VOICE IN THE BACK GROUND
SAID
" AND HAPPY NEW YEAR".

I CALLED DENICE THE MINUTE I GOT HOME AND WAS
ABLE TO REACH HER BEFORE THEY ALL WENT
THEIR SEPARATE WAYS.

The Gift
A HANDSOME PAIR OF HANDMADE RAGGEDYS.
ANN HOLDS RAGGEDY BABS CARD
AND ANDY HOLDS A PICTURE OF HIS
MAMA.

THE SPECIAL PAIR OF RAGGEDYS SAT QUIETLY WITH
THEIR NEW RAGGEDY FRIENDS AND THEIR OWN SMALL
CHRISTMAS TREE AND LISTENED TO CHRISTMAS
CAROLS ON THE RADIO ALL NIGHT LONG. AT LEAST
I THINK THAT'S WHAT THEY DID. WISHBONE
SAT WITH THEM SO I AM NOT REALLY SURE WHAT ALL
THE DOLLS DID THAT CHRISTMAS EVE. I AM SURE
THE NEW PAIR OF RAGGEDY DOLLS
TOLD MANY STORIES OF THEIR OLD HOME
AND OF THEY LADY THAT BROUGHT THEM TO LIFE IN
THE FAR AWAY CITY OF BOSTON.

THESE ARE THE FRIENDS THE RAGGEDYS SPENT CHRISTMAS WITH.
L-R
AMOSANDRA, A VERY OLD BEAR, SPARKLE, RAGGEDY ANN
A LAMB I HAD AS A BABY, WISHBONE AND STAMP RAGGEDY ANN.

L-R
LUCINDA, A LARGE STIEFF BEAR, NURSE DOLL
AND NURSE RABBIT AND BABY.

THE GARFIELD BOYS SURFED THE NET AND COULD NOT BE
BOTHERED WITH CHRISTMAS!

Thank You Barbara and Denice
and
All the Family

BARBARA GARRETT
(RAGGEDY BABS)

DAUGHTER
DENICE GARRETT
YOU CAN REACH DENICE AT <raggedybabs@webtv.net>

Denice Garrett
Proud 2000 graduate and Vivienne S. Thomson award recipient
from the Urban College of Boston.

These are Denice's children.
Denice is 14 and an honor student and very active in tap, ballet & jazz hip hop.
Tyreke is in the U.S. Army and I am sure he will do very good.
Thank you Tyreke!

I have met another wonderful member of the family.
This new friend is Jean Brinson , Barbara's sister.
Of course that's Denice's Auntie. :)

BARBARA, DENICE AND FAMILY
HAVE WON RAGGEDY ANN'S SPIRIT OF LOVE AWARD.

Raggedy Babs, your memory is now
like the candle in the wind.
You will always be remembered, as long
as there are those to remember.

Found at last. The poem, "Friends without faces"

Back To Special Friends Index

MADE IN THE USA
December 30, 1998

Updated June 10, 2001

"FRIENDSHIP ACROSS THE MILES "
"When we first shared our hearts,
how would we have ever known.
Such a special seed of friendship,
between our hearts would be sown.
We couldn't see each other's face,
but could see into the other's heart.
That was all we'd needed to know,
to join our hearts, from worlds apart.
Speaking with a childlike honesty,
without fear of revealing who we are.
We have formed a bond of friendship,
which has touched our lives from afar.

We've laughed and cried together,
sharing in each other's joy and pain.
And although our lives are so different,
our wonderful friendship will remain.

We opened a window to our hearts,
to reveal our every hope and dream.
We've found friendship across miles,
where our hearts filled the in-between."