Clem was the youngest of her siblings, with two older brothers in their thirties. While she was loved by her entire family, it was her grandmother who showed her the deepest, unconditional love.
On Clem’s 19th birthday, her grandmother gave her another box, and Clem expected it to contain another plastic sheep, a tradition that had started on her 7th birthday. Every year, her grandmother would give her a plastic sheep, and Clem would act surprised even though she knew what to expect.
The bond between Clem and her grandmother was strong, so her grandmother’s passing was especially hard on her.
“At least Grandma will live on in you,” her mother would say. “We named you after Grandma Clementine because I knew that as much as you were a gift to Dad and me, you were a gift to her too.”
On her 20th birthday, Clem’s mother handed her another box containing another plastic sheep.
“Grandma gave me this before she passed away,” her mother said. “She said it was the last one.”
As Clem looked at the plastic sheep, she began to cry and rushed to her room. She placed the new plastic sheep above her bed with the others. She used to think her grandmother had a memory condition, which explained the repetitive gifts.
“Clem?” Her older brother knocked on her door.
“I miss her,” Clem said. “Even if I thought she was a bit odd for the plastic sheep.”
“So, you haven’t figured it out yet?” Sheldon smiled.
“Look underneath the sheep,” he continued.
Confused, Clem examined the bottoms of the sheep. Each one had a number and a message: “I love you,” followed by a number.
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