This my original work from my This Real Life Books Series.

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Harper was mad! He was rolling on the floor kicking the door in, mad! Why you ask was Harper so mad? Well, his Mommy told him he couldn’t have a cookie cause he just had a piece of chocolate. Then his daddy said he couldn’t play this second because he was on an important call and shushed him out of his home office. 

"It’s not fair!” he said at the top of his voice! His Mommy open the door he just slammed and asked him, What’s wrong Harper? “Are you still mad about the cookie?” she asked. “YES and Daddy won’t play with me! I’m so bored!!!” He replied.

“Is that all?” Mommy asked with concern in her eyes. You see they were moving again and they had done a lot of moving. They called it “adventures” but Harper was attached this time. He was only three when they arrived in Washington but now he was turning 5 and he was feeling a lot more. More fear, more sadness and more MAD!

"It’s not fair! I don’t want to move! What about my toys?" Harper roared.

His Mommy replied, “Well toys can be replaced, Harper.”

"No, I want my toys ALL my toys!" he huffed.

“Well, we can’t take ALL your toys. How about we make a special basket for the toys we will ship ahead and you can only fill it up with your favorites?” she negotiated.

Harper’s teary eyes dried slightly and he sniffed. "But mommy I can’t take my friends…Can I?”, His eyes filling up with big gum drop tears again. 

Harper’s mommy sat on the bed and she wrapped her arms around his sobbing head and body. She took and deep breath and swallowed, choking down the tears she wanted to shed. She told herself she had to be strong for Harper.

She said sweetly, “You can take your friends in your heart. The beautiful thing about friends is that they may come and go but each one gives you the gift of their love. They also create beautiful memories that make you smile. They also give you strength because a true friend will be your friend forever and believe me Mamma has lived all over the world and I am still friends with all of the people I love and loved me. They visit me in my heart when I am lonely or sad and they remind me of how brave I was to leave them. Because saying goodbye to people, places and things make you braver and more open to new people, places, and things.”

Harper stared into his Mommy’s big smiling eyes and said, “What if the other kids I meet don’t like me or are mean?” I’m scared!

"Well everyone gets scared once in awhile but the more you love yourself the more others will love you! All you have to do is be you and people will love you I promise! His Mommy said. And also remember you are loved by your friends here! So why wouldn’t the kids there like you? You are a cool kid!" she replied.

Harper’s eyes brightened, "You think I’m cool Mamma?"

“Oh yes, the coolest kid I know! Most of all you are full of love and people really need love.” She lovingly replied.

Harper smiled, "Can I give some of my toys to my friends so they won’t forget me?"

"Oh, Harper, that’s a wonderful idea! She replied. I’m sure your friends will love you even more for doing that! They also will have something to remind them of you! You are such a smart kid!" 

“Thanks, Mamma, Harper replied. Can we make a special basket for my friends and fill it with all the toys I want to give them?"

“Yes of course! What’s should we call it?” she asked.

Harper grinned and said, “Let’s call it the love basket! All my toys are filled with my love and I will give it to them!”

And that’s what they did. They took one of the moving boxes they had and wrote on it “The Love Basket”. They called all of Harper’s friends over and had a see you later playdate and each child got to choose a toy to remember Harper by. Though there were some tears there was so much love that no one was too sad, just grateful for all the toys and mainly the love!

By Trina Casey

Website: http://galaxyswhale.com

Twitter: TrinaCasey13

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