Still in my Pooh jammies as I write this...at NOON! Today has just been full of wonderful surprises, which is not always the case on holidays. I'll say it "outloud" with hopes that 1.) it doesn't make me sound like a selfish shrew and 2.) there may be other ladies who have similar experiences. As a mom (and when I was a wife), I have always believed in making a big deal out of holidays. Perhaps it is because I am a "let's celebrate" kind of girl, but I scarcely need an excuse to make a fuss over the people I love. When I married my daughter's father, I instantly inherited 5 step-children, a step-daughter-in-law, a step-grandson & his two ex-wives. Yes, the ex-wives were part of the package :-). With such a large family, I shopped (Ohhhh, the hardship of it all) year-round for birthday and Christmas gifts. Whenever I came across something that would suit one of the kids, I'd pick it up and toss it in my gift closet. The result: I was overly prepared when the special occasion came around. It actually wasn't as haphazard as that sounds. I put a great deal of thought into each gift, while trying to stick within the parameters of our budget. Took time and creativity, but I thoroughly enjoyed the outcome when gift giving time arrived!
'Tis better to give than to receive...absolutely...and that's what I tried to keep in mind when I was the gift recipient. Because I was never the sort to make a wish list, that left the decision making up to my kids and ex-husband. I probably should have done some steering in the right direction, but I love surprises. At the risk of seeming ungrateful, suffice it to say: there are good surprises and there are not-so-good surprises. This Mother's Day, my ex-husband outdid himself beyond measure. He took the kids shopping for cards and a lovely rose scented candle (my favorite) and brought fresh out of the oven bagels & bream cheese over for breakfast. That would have been sufficient to put a lasting smile on this Mom's face. Inside the gift bag was a dvd/ cd (I wasn't sure which, at first) that he insisted we pop in the dvd player right away (that answered the dvd/ cd question). He had compiled a 10 minute slideshow of pictures that chronicled the lives of both of my children...many taken with me. The slideshow was set to music that he composed and recorded digitally. From the first picture, I was reduced to a quivering puddle of tears. My daughter quickly followed suit and my teenage son swiftly exited the room, but not before I caught a glimpse of a bit of suspicious moisture in his handsome brown eyes. My ex-husband kept his sunglasses on, throughout the viewing, but I'm fairly certain he wasn't immune to the reaction of my daughter and myself. This was, far and away, the best Mother's Day gift I have ever received. I so wish I could share it with all of you! I did ask him to make copies that I will send to my siblings and parents. I'm blessed and incredibly grateful...more tears, so I'll end with that. The picture, for this post, was taken several years ago. My daughter and I were on a ride, at an amusement park. I just love the expression on her face.
