The man in the green truck comes by our place every Thursday morning at the Springtree Condominiums by Juanita Village. You can hear him coming a few houses away. When that happens the ritual begins.

Iraina (my 2-year-old daughter) quickly grabs her shoes and jacket waiting for mommy or daddy to take her outside and sit on the porch.

As the green truck approaches the man gives a wave and a smile. Just before he pulls away he gives another wave and a smile. This past Christmas Iraina gave him a Christmas card. The smile was even bigger and the connection between the man in the green truck and Iraina grew.

Today the man in the green truck stopped and walked up to Iraina and her mommy sitting on the porch. He spoke for the first time and said today was his last day. He has been on this route for 15 years and said he had brought three suckers with him today for three families and this was his last one and handed it to Iraina.

Mommy and daddy were amazed to think how much just a wave and a smile had meant to Iraina. There was even a tear in Iraina’s daddy’s eye. As mommy and daddy watched Iraina they realized life is just beginning in so many ways. I wonder what the other two families felt that day.

Paul Swift, Kirkland