“The Jester Who Lost His Jingle” by David Saltzman

The festive, felt jester that typically comes with this book in its boxed set, has been staring at me pretty much all of December, and he never gets old. This particular jester belongs to my second husband Jeff because I lost my original jester in my divorce in 2009. I took the book and my first husband got the jester. This seemed appropriate: he got the toy and I got the story, and both meant a lot to us. “The Jester Who Lost His Jingle,” by David Saltzman, was self-published in January 1995 by his family after David died at the age of 23 from Hodgkin’s Disease. The story is about a kingdom that loses laughter, and the jester and his sidekick who try to restore it. The illustrations are charming and the message speaks to just about anyone who has suffered a loss, or overcome an obstacle. In 1995, my mom bought this book for us shortly after our girls were born three months premature, and later both diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Jeff’s mom gave him the book around the same time while his first wife fought back breast cancer as a 28-year-old mother. To this day, whenever I see the jester or think about this book, it makes me smile. We thought cerebral palsy meant the end of my daughters’ lives, but it was only the beginning of very exciting, inspiring and quite magical rides. Before he died, David wrote in his journal, “The best we can do is live life, enjoy it and know that it is meant to be enjoyed.” What a lovely sentiment to hold this time of year, or any time of year.