since ash and i are TALKING again, she wants to talk A LOT!!!! anyway, last night she started telling me things that she had been feeling since the stroke. she said that she was afraid that i didn't remember ANYTHING about her life anymore and she felt like if I didn't remember, then it never really existed. i told her that her life had and does exist REGARDLESS if i remembered it or NOT!!!! she then said that i used to tell stories about her life to people all of the time and that she missed that.

i reassured her that my long term memory was mostly still intact , but that i just had to be reminded. then i got a bright idea. i told her that she could help me with my memory by giving me "hints" and then i would try to recall an event. ( at this point i was PRAYING that whatever hint she gave would be SOMETHING i could remember)

the hint.

ASH: "the money hunt"

ME: ( my memory started to flood in my mind much like the red sea probably did after moses parted it and walked off) okay, i KNOW this one. when you were six years old you found 55 cents in the food world parking lot

ASH: yes!!!! two quarters and a nickel!!!

ME: OKAY, two quarters and a nickel. ANYWAY, i told you to snatch it up and put it in your pocket before sombody else got it!!!!!! THEN, when we got home i made you a little "bank" out of a mayo jar

ASH: PICKLE jar!!!

ME: okay, PICKLE jar... and i got a bright idea to teach you the value of a dollar. i told you that people carelessly drop money ALL of the time and that if you kept your eyes open there was no telling HOW much you could save.

ASH: don't forget you cut your finger....

ME: oh yeah, i cut my finger tring to make a hole in the jar lid by hammering a screw driver in the top, look, i don't have to remember EVERY DETAIL!!!!!! anyway, months went by and you were finding dimes, pennies, nickels and THEN the BIG one. we were outside of the movie theatre at the mall and you yelled" look kim, a DOLLAR!!!!!!" i said..."RUN AND SNATCH IT UP BEFORE ANYONE ELSE CAN GET IT!!!!!!!!" then we realized it was a TWENTY DOLLAR BILL!!!!!

ASH: ( rubbing her hands together real greedy like) "what a HAPPY day!!!!!!"

ME: oh yeah, then it was christmas time and i bragged on you about finding and saving all of that "found money" and told you i would take you to the dollar general

ASH: the dollar TREE

ME: okay, the dollar TREE, and let you buy christmas presents. you had nearly THIRTY dollars!!!!!

ASH: twenty eight dollars and thirty eight cents!!!!

ME: ANYWAY, that following easter we went to your church for some egg hunt or something, and i was talking to a group of people and ENTER ashley.

a man was bragging about how his son had found a wallet with money in it and had helped him mail it back to the owner. IMMEDIATELY, but not SOON enough, i saw the look on your face and knew it was coming but it was like in slow motion, you said

" NOT ME AND KIM. WHEN WE SEE MONEY ON THE GROUND WE SNATCH IT UP AND PUT IT IN OUR POCKETS BEFORE ANYONE ELSE CAN GET IT!!!! THATS HOW WE BUY OUR CHRISTMAS PRESENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

then you ran off to play leaving ME to do all of the explaining to the church people.

ASH: THAT was a GOOD one. can i give you ANOTHER hint!!!!!??????

ME: NO, i'm only good for one "HAPPY" memory recall at a time!!!!!! hey, let's order a pizza!!!!!

the end