Gifts

Petrified Wood  (photo would have been lost in my laptop but thankfully rescued from flickr)

Petrified Wood (photo from June 2012: would have been lost in my laptop but thankfully rescued from my free flickr account)

 

Mother’s Day  can be fraught with danger, whether that danger comes from unmet expectations or emotional landmines of the past — or a combination of both.  But occasionally, it can be filled with delightful surprises, and this past Sunday was one of those occasions.

I’m now going to beg your pardon as I take a moment to brag on my boys.

Acts of Service is my love language; it’s the way I show love to my family and the things I best offer up to friends in crisis (well, that and hugs of course).  Packing school lunches, baking pies, and hospital vigils are tangible ways I can serve others.  I am going to refrain from analyzing whether or not my kids finally “get me” and simply enjoy the fact that instead of buying me some small gift I didn’t need, the 3 boys living in my house got busy after church and not only went nuts with the housecleaning (clean counter tops! clean tabletop! clean bathtub!) but they also detailed my car!  And since they needed time to get it all done, my husband took me on an impromptu picnic for lunch. I call that a winning combination! 

My married son wasn’t here to help with any of that, but he did call me in the afternoon and actually talked with me, telling me about his summer job (paid research in the field of his major). He was so busy with work and more credits than most humans can handle this past year that I hardly talked with him while he was in school, so I especially appreciated the time he took to call and talk on Sunday.

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What are you thankful for this week?