Cinderella's Slipper & a Red Dragon

         I know that there are people out there, who may just be angels on Earth, sent to remind me that there are those who cherish Hillary as much as we do.  Over the years as I grumbled my way through crowds at the mall and cried inside at amusement parks there is usually someone who extends a kindness unexpectedly, reminding me that others see my daughter’s value and recognize our family’s challenges.  Sometimes it’s as simple as stopping to say hello to Hillary and wish her a happy time, or opening a door as we approach.  There was a time when we were traveling through Ohio and a woman stopped at our table in a restaurant to tell me what a good mother I was. So simple, yet so powerful and needed at the time; I still tear up when I think of it.  I think it was probably about 15 years ago when we were at the mall shopping in the Disney store, unknown to us we were being watched.  We exited the store and were walking through the mall when we heard a man calling to us.  We stopped and turned around as he approached, holding out a small snow globe with Cinderella’s glass slipper inside.  He asked us if we would allow him to give it to Hillary.  He said he had been watching us in the store and Hillary had touched his heart.  The snow globe sits on her dresser where every morning and night I am reminded of how kind some strangers can be.  It was around the same time that we went on a Girl Scouts trip to Hershey Park as a family.  As we were sitting on a bench with Hillary next to us while Anna and her friends went on rides we were approached by a small group of teenagers.  One of them extended a red stuffed dragon toy to Hillary and asked if it was ok if she had it.  It also is in her room where I see it every day.  I could tell of more incidences of such random kindness as they are kept in my memory like treasures in a box.  I examine them on those days when I need an extra reminder that angels are among us.