An "Anniversary" of Sorts

Sunday will be the one year anniversary of the passing of a dear friend.  I didn't mean to have two "heavy" posts in one week, but in honor of her memory, I am re-posting the story I wrote last year for her son - this time with pictures drawn by my friend Beth, aka MissBlackPepper.  

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The Story of Susan

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess named Susan.  Everyone in the Kingdom loved Princess Susan, because not only was she beautiful, but she was also strong and brave, smart, loving and – sometimes – just a tiny bit silly!  Everywhere she went she brought sunshine and laughter.  Everyone she met became a friend. 

Now, there are lots of stories about princesses out there and they all say that their princesses are special.  But Princess Susan was the most special of them all.  What made Princess Susan so special? 

Well, for one thing, she was strong and brave.  She could ride her Royal Bicycle through the forest as fast as the wind – and she wasn’t even afraid of the wolves.  She could climb the tallest mountains and touch the clouds – and she wasn’t afraid of falling.  She could ride the wild waves of the ocean on her Royal Surfboard - and she wasn’t afraid of the sharks.  And she kept her body strong by lifting weights and doing yoga in the Royal Gym. 

For another thing, she loved animals.  She had two Royal Kitty Cats, named Teva and Ziggy.  I’ll tell you a secret – sometimes Princess Susan spoiled those kitty cats, but they were good cats and they loved her very much. 

And everything that Princess Susan did, she did well.  Princess Susan was so smart that she went to the Royal University and became a Royal Engineer.  She loved reading and kept her Royal Car, named Bunny, full of books from the Royal Library.  And she was so good with computers that soon everyone in the Kingdom knew about her Royal Spreadsheets and the Royal Websites that she made. 

Princess Susan also loved to sew, and she made lots of wonderful things with her Royal Sewing Machine.  She could make magic things – she made magic quilted bags for her friends and family that were always full of love.  And she made magic shirts for the knights who were fighting in a war far away.  The shirts helped keep them cool in the hot desert sun and protected them from harm. 

Now, one day, when Princess Susan was practicing her mountain climbing in the Royal Gym, she met a knight, named Sir Matthew.  Sir Matthew was a very special knight in the Kingdom.  He didn’t have a horse – instead, he had a Royal Hound, named Brix.  And every day and every night, Sir Matthew and Brix would patrol the Kingdom, looking for bad guys.  When they found a bad guy, they would put him in jail, so that everyone in the Kingdom could be safe and happy.  It was a dangerous job, but Sir Matthew and Brix were very strong and very brave and they kept the people of the Kingdom safe. 

Of course, Sir Matthew took one look at the beautiful Princess Susan and immediately fell under her magic spell.  And, of course, Princess Susan took one look at the strong, handsome and brave Sir Matthew and immediately fell in love with him.  So, it was no surprise to anyone, when Sir Matthew asked Princess Susan to marry him, and she said yes. 

The wedding of Princess Susan and Sir Matthew was the biggest and most wonderful event in the whole Kingdom.  Everyone came to celebrate and there was joy and happiness throughout the land as they became King Matthew and Queen Susan. 

But the joy of the wedding was nothing compared to the joy when Queen Susan and King Matthew welcomed their baby boy, Prince Andrew, into the world.  And while Queen Susan was good at everything that she had done in her whole life, when she had her baby boy, Prince Andrew, she found her most special passion – being a mama.  And every minute that she wasn’t taking care of her husband, King Matthew, or her baby, Prince Andrew, she spent helping other mamas and their babies in her Kingdom. 

Queen Susan and Prince Andrew went everywhere together and did everything together.  They went to a magic land called Amaya Papaya, where everything was small, just the right size for Prince Andrew to play with.  They had play dates at the Royal Park with Princess Lyla and the Princess Sisters CeCe and Frannie.  They went to the Royal Zoo and played in the Royal Water Fountains and fed the Royal Goats.  They played in the Royal Chik-Fil-A Playground where everyone has to take off their shoes – and sometimes Prince Andrew tried to put on other children’s shoes!  And they went to another magic land called the Grow and Sing Studio, where Prince Andrew learned to play music and dance and sing.  And everywhere they went, they smiled and laughed and had fun together. 

And Prince Andrew grew, tall and strong and brave like his father, King Matthew; with a warm, open and loving spirit – and just a tiny bit silly! – like his mother, Queen Susan.  And Queen Susan and King Matthew and the Royal Hound, Brix, and the Royal Kitty Cats, Teva and Ziggy – they all loved their Prince Andrew with all their hearts. 

One day, God realized that there were a lot of babies up in Heaven who needed a mama to take care of them.  And He searched the entire world for the very best mama that he could find.  Of course, Queen Susan was the best mama, with the biggest heart and the most love, so God decided to bring her to Heaven to care for those babies. 

Queen Susan didn’t want to go.  She wanted to stay with King Matthew and Prince Andrew.  But God said that they were strong and had each other, and He promised Queen Susan that she could become an angel and watch over them and take care of them from Heaven. 

And so now, Queen Susan is up in heaven, taking care of all those babies that don’t have their mamas with them – but she still loves her King Matthew and her Prince Andrew best of all.  And she watches over them and takes care of them and sends good things and good people into their lives every chance she gets.  And she will be with them forever and she will never stop loving them.  Her love is forever and ever. 

The End.