I received five unexpected gifts in one day!

After writing the post about giving unexpected gifts and how much fun it is for me  I myself received five unexpected gifts today! Now, don’t be mislead, I hardly ever, if ever am the object of the random gift giver. What I consider true gifts aren’t usually things money can buy. These are what I received today.   I am so excited now to tell the stories.

To begin, this wasn’t a great day. I had a little friction with teens on the way out the door. It reinforced that parenting teens is just plain hard to do. I think I was right, but, I second guessed myself all morning long. Until I received the text of apology and request for forgiveness. Wow. I really have a great relationship with my kids. I couldn’t hope for it to be better considering the world we live in and the pressures around us. That might be gift number six I failed to mention.

So, first my friend, my sweet friend, Mary Beth Cameron comes to have lunch with me every Wednesday. I give my car to Donny on Wednesdays and try to keep some sort of a sabbath for myself where I don’t go out and keep my day introspective, prayerful, simple and quiet. She confessed she bought me a gift that she doesn’t want me to go buy, so she asked if she could tell me before it arrived. Sure, spill. She got us Snow White, a princess movie for our little girl! Oh, I love that.  Nice. I will love watching that with her someday. Really the best gift here is the lunch and mentoring I enjoy offering to Mary Beth each week. I’ll be sure to post about her more at some point.

My friend Emily, the mama of Josh Felix, who was rescued from the Haiti mission trip during the earthquake, informed me that she too is waiting for a baby. Her oldest son and his wife are expecting a baby…the picture of the wedding photo I posted where I took Donny to the wedding. This is a small world.  If there were ever in this world a woman I would hope could become a grandma immediately it is my friend Emily. The news was a fabulous gift of joy for me. I teased her that we’ll have to go shopping for baby things together. We can even get our “babies” together for a play date. Even better, they live in Orlando, I can bring our girl and we can make a date of the theme park. Hee-Hee. No doubt, she’ll think she’s got the best deal because she won’t miss a minute of sleep. Well, her youngest is the age of my oldest, so I’ve got time. Hopefully I’ll become a grandma before I ever have an empty nest. That’s a great plan.

So I got my car today for one hour where I had to run an errand to get some organizing supplies for my art room. “had to”.  On my way home I sat eighth in line at the traffic light. I saw a homeless man at the corner. I reached behind me and grasped a pack for the homeless that I had prepared. I rolled my window down. I watched him try to walk my way. He is young and crippled, walking with a slow difficult limp. His sign said, “hungry, homeless.”I held the package out the window and was unprepared for what he said.  When he took the pack he said to me, “oh, you have no idea how much I need this water. This is what keeps me alive at night. I’ve been waiting for this.” Then he looked closely at the pack, and he saw the socks. His face lit up and he exclaimed, “and, socks? Wow!  This is great.” I believe if he could have leaped and clicked his heels he would have. He was celebrating his good fortune as I rolled up my window and drove away. I began to have a quiet cry come up and choke my throat as I turned left at the light. Who ever is so happy about a simple pair of socks? Most people I know would consider the gift of socks as an insult.

My phone rang while I made the turn. When I came to the next stop-  (really, I waited, I know the dangers of phones and driving.) I retrieved my message. It was my dance teacher from my childhood! Patsy Watson, the one I mentioned as speaking to me about Jesus in the “my Story” tab. Seems my mom sent her a copy of “my story”. And so she found my new phone number. Hearing her voice returned me to my childhood. I immediately wanted to stand in first position and suck in my gut and stand up straight. She is still teaching seven hours a week in her late seventies! She said she’s proud of me, she likes what I am doing with my life, my husband is lucky, and she loves me. I will call her tomorrow. I went into a full out cry.

When I got home I opened the mail. There was a box labeled “uggs”. I thought, oooo, who is sending me ugg boots? I just bought some boots but slippers would be nice. I opened it and found two loaves of cinnamon bread from my mom. That’s for the boys, I can’t eat bread. But the card contained the best gift of all. I am one to treasure words. On my birthday and mother’s day I ask for deeply thoughtful, heart felt letters from my sons, and I keep them in a book. Nothing is more valuable to me than authentic heart felt words. Pete, my step dad wrote us a poem. I hope he doesn’t mind I share his talent here with you.

‘Twas three days before Christmas

              and something’s going down…

papa in my apron

‘cuz Nana & Papa

            just blew into town. 

Annie ran in-

           took one look, and thought

                                      “Ouch!”

I’ll probably be hurt,

                if I jump on that couch.

The stockings were hung

               by the chimney with care,

but the boys said, “don’t worry”

             he won’t soon be here.

Cause they and their Nana

papa with a good book

                    they had a big task….

Three days of Monopoly,

                    who won?….just don’t ask.

Dinners will filled

                       with much laughter and love,

and a blessing each night,

                         for the big guy above.

Christmas dinner, especially,

                      was a meal to remember…

nana winning in monopoly

Whoever heard of pizza

                     on the 25th of December?

Papa pitched in…

                   he’d occasionally cook.

But most of the time,

                he just read a good book.

A gift to give Craig?

              He’s not easy to please,

Papa did it….

never ending monopoly

                 with mac and with cheese.

Nana and Tonya

              (our mother-to-be)

went most every day

             on a big shopping spree.

Just what they bought,

             well, nobody knows

but we know they paid someone

            for paintin their toes!

shopping at the mall with Nana

So, on Donny

             on Jordan

                               on Kevin and Jack

We had so much fun,

               that next year…

                             …we’ll be back.

~love Papa and Nana and Annie

Thanks Mom and Pete! It’s a gift to treasure, and we’ll accept that as a promise that you will come back.

These simple gifts I received today deeply encouraged me. I never doubt God’s presence in my day, but when he pokes others to share with me some of their real selves, well, I feel blessed.

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