[SWTXBelle]

Many of you know we lost my niece Kitty to drowning the day after her fifth birthday.

That fall, I was acting at the Texas Renaissance Festival. One day, I looked down, and my Gamma Phi ring was missing. I was frantic. I retraced my steps, searched in and around my car, and went as far as looking under leaves on the path.

Two friends saw me, and asked what I was doing. When I told them, one of them said, "Could it be Kitty?"

Now for a little background. When she was around 3, my rings went missing. I was in the habit of slipping my 3 rings on my watch band, closing the band, and putting them in my purse. One day they were not in my purse, and nowhere to be found. Months later, my youngest son's school called, and said they had found a watch and some rings in his backpack. It turned out Kitty had taken them out of my purse, and put them into his open backpack.

Back to the story at hand. "Kitty," I said, "If you are playing, please give me back my ring." I went backstage and there, lying next to my car, was my ring. I had searched that area thoroughly.

I firmly believe Kitty was having fun with me at a place we had taken her and which she had loved.