She removed the thumbtack that held his first-grade wish to his bulletin board. She traced her fingers over the childish block letters— I want to be a fireman.
Some dreams don’t come true, she thought.
Alexis knew she had a letter to write and went to her room to compose it.
Dear Ms. Lola:
I’m heading off to college next week, but I can’t leave without writing you and telling you how I feel. First of all, I want to thank you for being such a great teacher. If you hadn’t given me such a good start, I might never have liked school as much as I did. You made learning fun and interesting—even math! I’m telling you this because I don’t think kids say thank you enough to the teachers who make a difference in their lives.
I also want to thank you for visiting Adam in the hospital when he was sick. It meant a lot to him to know that someone besides his family was thinking about him. Adam had a terrible crush on you way back then, and always called you a little elf.
Thank you also for the time capsule you kept. And for the ceremony inviting us back to hear all our kid wishes. I didn’t know at the time that it would be the last school ceremony I ever attended with my brother. I’m still sad whenever I think about how Adam’s life was cut so short, but I make myself concentrate on the good and not the bad, and that helps me keep control.
Most of all, I want to thank you for the whole time capsule idea. I liked it so much that I have created my own time capsule dedicated to Adam’s memory. I’m saving many of his things, and I know that someday, when I’m much stronger, I will be able to open it and touch my brother again. I will be able to use it to show my future friends and my future family (if I get married and have kids!) all about Adam too, for I know the things I’m saving will help him become real to them. He deserves that, I think.
Ms. Lola, I will never forget your influence on my life. I will never forget your thoughtfulness and kindness. The first graders of tomorrow will be lucky to have you for their teacher. Think of me now and again. Think of Adam too.
Your grateful student,
“I miss you . . . ,” she whispered to Adam when she finished writing. She and Adam, tucked so compactly beneath their mother’s heart inside the dark, warm comfort of the womb. They had been two halves, made whole by each other’s existence. Now she felt split in two again, cleaved, as if some great knife had sliced them apart. Holding the letter, she returned to Adam’s room.
Don’t be sad. The words formed like a whisper inside her mind, as if he’d spoken them aloud. “You’re here, aren’t you, Adam?” She heard no answer, but it didn’t matter. She didn’t have to see the sun to know it existed. Adam’s room was alive, all but vibrating with his essence. The presence she felt was no illusion.
She lifted the box, rested it on her hip, took another long, searching look around the room, opened the door to the hall. Adam was with her. Not in his possessions, but in her mind, in her memory. She would keep him alive inside the time capsule of her heart. Always.
MAKE YOUR OWN TIME CAPSULE
Maybe you’d like to create a time capsule for yourself. It’s fun and easy, and if you do it correctly, your keepsakes can last a long, long time. According to the International Time Capsule Society, here’s how to do it.
Choose a container. It can be plastic, metal, or heavy-duty rubber—as long as it’s nonbiodegradable and airtight. Coffee cans work great, but you may want to use something larger.
Choose a date. Decide when you (or future generations!) will open your time capsule. After you graduate from college? In ten years? Twenty? Fifty? Write that date on a large adhesive label: DO NOT OPEN UNTIL —; then stick it on your container.
Choose your contents. What do you want to put in your time capsule? Use your imagination. Fill your container with things that represent both world events and what’s going on in your life right now. Clip headlines from newspapers and magazines. Since newsprint is fragile, photocopy news articles onto archival-quality paper, which can be found at your local craft or hobby store.
You can also add photos of yourself, your family, your pets and your friends. Wrap photographs in archival-quality envelopes to protect them, and be sure to label them so you’ll remember who’s in them, where you were and what you were doing.
Be creative! Add ticket stubs from movies and plays and programs from events you attended. Include CDs or CD-ROMs of your favorite music or computer games. Why not write a letter to your future self or to the people who will open your time capsule? Write about your everyday life, your feelings, your hopes and dreams. Be sure to use acid-free paper so that your words will stand the test of time. Your local craft store’s scrapbook or stamping department usually stocks this kind of writing paper.
Get other people involved. Invite family and friends to contribute to your time capsule. To preserve items that aren’t papers or photographs, seal each in a plastic bag, and label it so that you know where it came from.
Seal it! Now it’s time to seal your time capsule, so gather all the items, put them in a large plastic bag for extra protection and put that bag into your container. Make sure the lid fits tightly. If necessary, seal it with duct tape or glue.
Hide it! Even though a lot of people bury their time capsules, it isn’t a good idea. You might forget where you buried your capsule, or you might move. Many time capsules have been lost this way. Instead, pick a location that’s cool, dark and dry— this will ensure that the things you’ve put in your capsule will last for a long time. Think about shoving it to the back of your closet, locking it in a drawer or even storing it in plain sight on a shelf in your room. (No peeking!)
Leave yourself a reminder. If you’ve hidden your time capsule, write a note to remind yourself when to open it. Leave the note in a place where you’re sure to find it—your desk drawer, your diary, a home file cabinet.
Open it! In the future, that is! You’re going to love meeting yourself years from now. And you’ll be surprised at the amazing memories when you do.
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The Girl Death Left Behind • Angels Watching Over Me
Lifted Up by Angels • Until Angels Close My Eyes
Till Death Do Us Part • For Better, for Worse, Forever
I’ll Be Seeing You • Saving Jessica
Don’t Die, My Love • Too Young to Die
Goodbye Doesn’t Mean Forever
Somewhere Between Life and Death
Time to Let Go • Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
When Happily Ever After Ends
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From every ending comes a new beginning....
Published by
Dell Laurel-Leaf
an imprint of
Random House Children’s Books
a division of Random House, Inc.
New York
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
Text copyright © 2003 by Lurlene McDaniel
All rights reserved.
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eISBN: 978-0-307-43402-9
v3.0
Lurlene McDaniel, The Time Capsule
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