She wears her heart in her front pocket. She likes to keep it handy in case she meets someone she thinks deserves it.

Nana is one of those special people who can hold Alexis' heart. To say it's a case of absolute adoration would be an understatement. That's why it came as no surprise when she asked to buy a special gift just for her Nana and just from her.

I steered her towards a jewelry counter and found a few things that were within her budget. She pondered, she thought, she considered, and then she set her sights on something in the case that I hadn't noticed--a sterling silver heart-shaped pendant with a pink crystal in the middle. I spotted her a few extra dollars so that she could make her big Christmas purchase.

She dutifully helped me wrap the gift she had carefully selected, steering me towards the perfect wrapping paper, the perfect ribbon, and the perfect name tag. She carefully signed her own name in the "From" space and eagerly awaited the gifting hour.

As soon as we stepped foot in Nana's house, Alexis ran to the pile of gifts to find that something special. Her eyes were glowing as we carefully explained that we wouldn't be opening gifts until the next day. "Ooooo-kay," she sighed.

The next day, she again ran over to the pile of presents and found that something special. She picked it up, her smile radiating the warmth of a million lightbulbs, and rushed to find her Nana in the kitchen.

Nana was elbow-deep in dead animal guts. As the resident vegetarian, I'm not entirely sure what it was, I just know it wasn't a prime moment for unwrapping a gift. Nana told the child as much. As the anticipation changed to disappointment, you could see the joy falling from Alexis' face.

Dejected and hurt, Alexis came running back to me. "I want to leave," she sobbed. It took over ten minutes to help the tender-hearted three-year old pick up the pieces of her broken heart and put them back in her pocket.

She wears her heart in her front pocket. Sometimes I wish she hadn't gotten that part of my DNA.