My Jessie Journal: Hi Sweet-Pea! I sure miss you and think of you so much. In some ways it feels 
like yesterday and in other ways it feels like years. In 9 days it will be a year. Wow! A year without someone you love so much. I can’t think about that right now. So I will write about this last week. It was Christmas (like you didn’t know that) and we got through the day. Mommy, Shaya, JT, Uncle T, Aunt Kimmy, Nana, Papa, Tanta, Bob and Kay were all together. Also Moe, Ripley and Roxy. We made all of your favorite food and desserts, which was fun.
We also gave out presents to everyone from you, which was hard. Every time I heard, “This is from Jessie” my heart sank and my stomach clinched as I held my tears in. Your gift to mommy was one of those little blue boxes=). She loved it!!! It got that for her as it was they last place you two shopped together when you got your matching hearts. We gave Nana & Papa and Kimmy & T large wall canvas pictures of you with them. This way they can see you in a “big” way each day in their home. Shaya got lots of clothes and JT Legos, which he wishes you were here to help him build. Uncle T helped a ton. Thanks for making time for your little bro Jess. He still wishes he could “face-time” you. Kimmy & T just left to go back to Denver. Remember last year when we were there on Christmas and it snowed? You loved the snow Jess. This pic was from last year after you got your “iGuy” to hold your iPad. You loved that thing so much. We are talking about going back soon to spend a little time there creating new memories and we hold on to our memories of you!!!
It’s been quiet at the JoyFactory this week, which is a good thing. Ms. Diana, Laura, Jana, Tina, Cheryl, Kaitlin, Donna, Connie, JoAnn, Laura and countless other amazing volunteers have worked so hard for you this year Jess. Over 45,000 JoyJars! They love caring for kids just like you did.
I’ve been working on our Annual Report for your foundation…so amazed and honored to see the progress we have been able to make in one year because you simply cared for other kids fighting cancer. I hope someday “NEGU” is a recognized symbol for pediatric cancer like “pink” is for breast cancer and “live strong” is for adult cancer. There is no global brand for all the innocent kids on the “care” side…lots on the cure side. So maybe, just maybe, your mission on earth was to start a wave of encouragement & compassion so there could be a Jessie Rees Foundation. So there could be JoyJars. So there could be “NEGU”. If that was your mission, I still don’t understand it but will do everything I can to fulfill it. It’s what daddy’s do for their kids.
Miss you tons…love you more…see you in a “wink”…I promise!!!
xoxo,
daddy