Mary, I was rummaging around in our old belongings and I found this picture that we had taken before our lives changed completely.

Remembering standing in front of our old house, wearing the clothes I wore for a long time. My husband at my side, the angel of my life, you at my feet and the loving pet I just don't have the strength to get rid of, all surrounded me during this tragic time. That's you sitting in front of me with a look of curiosity, which you needed for the adventure we were about to take. My husband was loyal through it all. When I gazed in his eyes back then, I could see nothing but possibilities of all the good things that would come to me. Only later on would my life take such a drastic and devastating turn.

That day was the day he ran his hand slowly down my face and said, "No matter what happens, my priorities lie in my beautiful wife and our little princess." Thinking about this, it just causes the tears of pain to flow from my eyes. He was taken away from us this day. He had to take care of business and we couldn't go with him. Things didn't go quite as planned and now he was never going to come back. From there on it was you, Charles the beloved dog and I, however, your father's spirit will always be walking two steps behind us for the rest of our lives. He's here with us right now. I'm sorry, I don't mean to break down in front of you like this.

Mary, can you hear me, please?

The house looks bad in this picture but it was your favorite place to be and didn't always look like this. Once it was painted white and blue, and looked as if it glowed in the sun. Remember when you hung your beautiful drawings in the back door? There was not one person in the neighborhood that didn't drop by and say how much they adored your art. You had talent Mary, please come back and share it with me.

I can recall right after we had come back from the town store together, and your daddy was home but he was hiding behind a beautiful bouquet of roses, which he had bought for me. In his gentle hands was your life's passion- just a mutt, but he meant something to you, with his loving eyes, one blue one brown. You created your own explanation for why they were different do you remember? You always told your daddy that the blue one stood for the angel in him and the brown one gave him the right to walk the earth. You didn't have to explain to me why you named that dog Charles. That was your daddy's name. Just to let you know Charles is still around. I tried to bring him here but he's getting old and it's just too hard on him. When you get out of the hospital he'll be so happy. Everyday, he sleeps right next to your beautiful, once white cotton dress, the one you were wearing in this picture. He doesn't move from it unless it's time to eat or go outside, but once he's dope, that's where he runs.

Your room in this house is identical to the last house. I put up some of your old art in the large window, looks beautiful right behind your intricately carved cherry wood bed. I bought you a new comforter- cotton lightly stuffed with feathers, and with the lace intertwined among the quilt squares. It even has a slight pink tint to it, just like you should remember it. It is almost an exact replica of the one I had to leave behind on your bed. You won't even be able to tell the difference in the rooms. Oh please come back to me so you can see it. It's so beautiful; the furniture is perfect. Surely, it will trigger those old memories that I know are running through your mind right now.

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After leaving the hospital I worked up an appetite. It's not often this happens with all that is happening right now-my daughter in a coma and my husband gone. Things just aren't fair anymore.

Watching the water boil, from the kitchen chair, with poor little Charles's head on my lap, I began to inform him of what I had done today with his favorite person, Mary.

I don't know if you can understand me or not but if you can, you better listen up. Mary is really sick and has been like this for over three months. The doctor doesn't think she'll pull through, he doesn't come right out and say it but I can tell by the expression on his face. He told me it would be another three months before we can make a final decision about the life of my daughter, your best friend. Tomorrow, ybu'll be coming with me to the hospital and so you don't get too tired of traveling back and forth that's where you are going to stay. You don't have many years left, and I know you don't want to spend the rest of them listening to me complain every night over dinner until I eventually fall asleep. I got you a cute little doghouse, not one of those ugly igloo things, but one I think you'll enjoy. I had them paint it blue and white and inside I put five star carpeting along the bottom. If that doesn't fit your needs, you can always sleep with Mary. I'm sure she wouldn't mind. You can't do this all the time though, because that bed isn't that big and she might not be up to the company. Your presence will change the weird feeling at the hospital and give it color and spunk. It'll be wonderful. I know that once you arrive your depression will instantly disappear.

When we get there, I'll remind her of the adventure, how close we grew and all the great things she has to live for. Maybe, at the sight of you s~e will just... oh I don't know. I'm just dreaming.

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Hey Mary, I'm back! Look who I brought; it's Charles, and he's so glad to see you. Look at his tail wag, the sparkle in his eyes, and his mouth looks almost like he is smiling. At home he just mopes around or stays in one place and I can almost see his eyes watering but look at him now, look at the change you bring in his life. I wish I knew whether or not you could see this. Well, since you can't answer me and I assume you can still hear me, I will tell you the adventure your life has taken.

The day your daddy left us, the one I was talking about yesterday, he didn't leave us because he didn't care. When the army drafted him, he had no other choice. Because of the Great Depression, which was still causing so much pain in this country, our only source of income was now of fat war. They placed him along with many other new recruits in the infantry. It wasn't fair; he hadn't gone through the basic army courses as the other soldiers had. So putting him in that section almost guaranteed he would die.

He wanted so badly to see you grow up. For instance, to see you off to school on your first day and to be home to hear how horrible it had been and give you courage and strength to make to your second day. At the same time, he wanted to be there to meet your first boyfriend and watch you come down the stairs in that beautiful prom dress and tell you how gorgeous you looked. He'd even dream about being at your graduation where he would be standing tall and proud in the back watching his daughter's great big smile and the well earned diploma in your delicate hands. Far off into the future, he wanted to be there for your wedding to walk you down the aisle.

What I am trying to say is, he loved you so dearly, Mary, and would never leave you unless he had to. In this situation, he did.

After your dad left, the journey began. I tried to find a job at the local town store but with everyone in a scurry to get money, no one was hiring. Further complicating things, I was a young mother with a child who would never let her out of my sight. However, there was the older man who lived around the comer, Mr. Richards, who lived in the gorgeous three-story antebellum mansion, and he showed us his compassion. To this day I don't know how we received such luck. He had over two hundred acres of lush green land where everything imaginable bloomed, and where we would go on our picnics. You and I wouldn't come back for days; packing enough food for a week and lying in the tall luscious grass forgetting about our loss and everything that was going on around us. The grass was so tall it hid our bodies from the harmful rays of sun, and it seemed as though we had no care in the world. Charles would be running around catching imaginary bugs and bouncing up over the beautifully overgrown patches of grass with glee; he was always able to make us laugh.

We were there for a year before our luck ran out. Mr. Richards, the older man, was getting low on money himself and couldn't afford to pay for him and us. He was an incredibly kind man, and I couldn't have thanked him enough for letting us stay as long as we did. He felt horrible asking us to leave but Mr. Richards had no other option.

From there our journey continued. We met some unimaginatively rude people who called us horrible names like beggars, paupers, and just plain trash. We never took to heart what they said because we knew we had hit a hard time but we would pull through it.

Mary, I'm getting hungry so I'll finish when I get back from the hospital cafeteria; I won't be long. Come on Charles.

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Charles, do you every think times will change and Mary will be able to wake from this horrible sleep? I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but the more I try not to it just happens and brings tears to my eyes. How could I have let this happen? If only I had kept her by my side, if only I was paying better attention.

Ding, Ding, Ding.

Don't get scared Charles, you silly boy; it's just the microwave. I'll make your meal injust a second but let me eat first. Now no bouncing, I know it works at home but not here, wait till I'm done it will only take five minutes. For being as old as you are, you still bounce like you did when you were young. Don't give me those puppy eyes. Come on Charles, cut it out. Fine, I'll make it now. You are so spoiled.

Do you want to wait in the lounge for a while before we go back up to the room? Wait, why am I asking you a question when I know you can't answer me? I guess we are just going to head back up to the room then.

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Mary, you're awake! I'm sorry I left I just went to get something to eat. I've been sitting here everyday talking to you and telling you the story of your life. Charles just came up today too. Do you remember Charles? Do you know that you have been in this coma for over three months?

"Who's Mary and this dog? Why am I in a hospital? Oh no, what happened now," yelled the terrified Mary.