Sharing JOY at Poe's Tavern

When the boys were growing up we would take them to the beach as often as possible. Our family loves the beach and we think Jackson loved it the most. The sensory input of the sand, waves and wind made him so happy. He loved running on the beach, laying in the waves and surfing too.

One of our most favorite spots to eat is Poe's Tavern on Sullivans Island. An Edger Allen Poe themed bar with the best bar food around. During one of our visits we stopped in with just Jackson. Caden was at a youth group camp nearby and after we dropped him off the three of us went to the beach for a few days. We were having a great time ( the picture below is from this specific visit) and at the end of the meal our waitress informed us someone had picked up our tab. I asked her to charge me for something so I could leave a tip but she told us that the tip had been paid as well. This was done out of kindness for Jackson and we never forgot that visit.

In June, Chris and I were at the beach and stopped by Poe's with the dogs to grab some lunch. During lunch we decided we wanted to leave a Puffer fish at the Tavern. We spoke to Hailey, one of the managers, she was so lovely and as we told her the story she was very moved and told us she would display the Puffer at the bar. Now when folks come in, if they ask about the Puffer they may hear the story of Jackson and our hope is that it will give them JOY too.

After lunch I stopped in at my favorite store, Goldbug, I got a chance to meet the owner, Ashley and tell her about Jax and his Puffer. She too was so kind and lovely. I have recently reached out to her and she has offered to donate something from her store to the silent auction for the Sweet Jax Joy Fundraiser in September.

It is amazing to see how Jax and his Puffer continue to spread JOY and give us the ability to make friends through his story.