Dear Henry

Jack and I went to the Redskins game today. They are really bad this year. Jack said that he wished Darrell Green was still playing. So do I. He was both of yours favorite because of the Tootsie Roll he kept in his sock to give him a boost during the game. If only everyone used Tootsie Rolls to give them a boost.



During halftime they had the Punt, Pass and Kick competition. I watched it and couldn't help but think back to the time Mom and I went to a Redskin game when Mommy was pregnant with you. We saw a boy win the 9 Year Old Division of the Punt, Pass and Kick competition that year. He threw the ball really, really far and I remember hoping that I would have a son who could throw like that kid. The boy's name was Jerid DeMarco.

Jerid died of Fanconi anemia a year after you were born. He was 10. I think we spoke with his family. They lived in Virginia.

The Redskins won and Jack didn't get too bored. He doesn't like watching sports all that much. I wonder if he'll grow into that.

Speaking of bored, I got Jack out of school early on Wednesday and brought him back to XM to watch Randy Newman perform. Randy Newman is the guy who wrote and sand a lot of the songs you love from Disney movies. He sings You've Got a Friend in Me. You and I listened to that over and over in Minnesota while you were dying. I was very excited when Randy Newman played that on Wednesday. I was worried he wouldn't play it, but it was the second song he sang. Jack perked up for that song, but for the most part he was pretty bored.



I thought it was going to be something he remembered for his entire life. That is something called "projecting." That means I thought Jack was going to feel the way I felt. Maybe someday he'll read this and think it was cool that he sat so close to this great songwriter in such a small room without too many other people and heard such great songs.

I wish you were here to have heard it. You were with me in my mind, my heart and every salty tear that rolled down my cheeks.

And as the years go by,
Our friendship will never die.
You gonna see it's our destiny.
You've got a friend in me.
You got a friend in me.