Bob and Miss Rumphius

Each night when Scott gets home from work, Jenna asks him who he saw at work. One of her favorite parts of the day is to recount the people she knows and check if they were in HUNTS.

"Bob Watts" is a favorite, Maya has actually just started saying his name over the last few weeks! :)

Now anyone who knows Bob can see what a kind and thoughtful person he is, even at such a young age, the girls have a fondness for him. He has taken the time to connect with them, sending them personal notes, responding to their dictated emails, and even giving them gifts for holidays, birthdays and no real reason at all.

The most special gift the girls have received from Bob was the book Miss Rumphius/The Lupine Lady, even with a small note inside telling them to "Make the world a better place." (The message of the book.) Miss Rumphius/The Lupine Lady is a great story, sweet with a phenomenal message about doing what you can to improve this wonderful world we live in and such a touching story of family.

Just over the past few weeks, Jenna has been repeatedly requesting this book at bedtime. Scott has read it to her many many a night and each night she wants to talk with him about how SHE will be like Alice and make a difference when she is bigger. If that is not touching enough, Scott has shared with Jenna that his dad, Papa Jack, used to tell he and his siblings the story of how the lupines got to be all over the highways. Such a powerful connection for Jack to posthumously share with his namesake.

As the four year anniversary of his passing approaches this month, it was only fitting and honestly a bit too ironic, that Jenna requested when the snow has melted we "do just what Alice did and spread lupine seeds all over."

Papa Jack continues to live on through us and we hope to make this an annual family event in an effort to remember and honor Papa Jack and to help encourage our children to "make the world a better place." Thank you Bob! What a big impact your gift has made!