What Can I Get You For Your Birthday?



   When I was younger I would always ask my Dad what he wanted for his birthday. I wanted to know what present I could buy him. His answer was usually the same, nothing. He rarely wants anything for his birthday. As a kid and young adult I never understood that. I always wanted something. Most of the time it wasn't very big or very much, but it was always something. That's not unusual. There's always a toy, a game, a book, some item that you want when you are younger.
  A few weeks ago C asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I thought really hard and came up completely dry. I couldn't think of a single thing that I really wanted. I have a good husband, good cats and a nice home for us to live in. I have enough food to eat, clothes to wear and a car to drive when I need to get somewhere. I have two harps and a hammer dulcimer. I have needlepoint projects and books to read. I have good friends. There's truly nothing that I feel I lack.
  I did get some gifts yesterday. Three friends of mine spent the morning and part of the afternoon with me. We had a good and fun lunch together. The time they spent with me was a gift. One of my stepdaughters wished me a happy birthday and then added that I was "The best step mom a girl could ask for." It may have been a small thing to her, but it meant the world to me.
  C and I went out to dinner at a favourite restaurant. He had three red roses and balloons on the table. I am so lucky to have such a thoughtful man in my life.
  I finally understand what my Dad meant when he said that he didn't want anything. He had plenty of the material things of life. What he wanted was the immaterial things. The things that mean so much more.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Simple Things

     C and I usually have a date day or at least part of a date day once a week. It's a time where we spend time with each other doing something fun or maybe simply having lunch out. Since Thursday was Thanksgiving and neither of us felt like eating out, we decided to go out for a hot chocolate.   Right before we left C had an idea. We should get our hot chocolate and also share a peppermint shake from Chick-fil-A. He said the the combination of the hot chocolate and the cool peppermint shake would be really good. I thought it was overkill, but agreed to do it.    After dropping a loaf of bread off at a friend's house we went through the drive through to get the hot chocolate. When I have a choice I usually get dark chocolate. It's not quite as sweet and has lots of flavour. C always gets milk chocolate. Then we went to Chick-fil-A. C went inside and picked up our preordered shake. It was topped with whipped cream and a cherry. I asked C if he wanted to cherry. He said no s
Read more

Released

   A few weeks ago I was asked to stay after a Ward Council meeting. Normally it's a meeting I don't attend, but the Relief Society president was out of town and one of my duties was to sit in for her on such meetings. I was fairly sure I knew what it was going to be about.     After the meeting I stayed behind while everyone had left. It was just me and one of the bishop's counselors. We sat in some chairs at one side of the bishop's office. He told me that I was going to be released from my calling as a Relief Society counselor. The release was going to be announced at Sacrament meeting (what the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints call their worship service.) that would take place in about 20 minutes. I'm sure I startled the counselor with my expression of joy and relief at what he told me. I'm sure he was expecting me to be upset and bewildered. Usually one knows about a release at least a few days before it happens.     I had a feeling that this was
Read more

Looking for A New Project

           Earlier this year I finished the 10 stitch blanket that I've been working on for a long time. It was a very relaxing project and I enjoyed working on it. Over the summer I haven't knit anything because of lack of time. Now it's fall and I have the itch to start knitting again. I also want a project to take to Door County with me.     I know that I said I wanted to knit a pair of socks, but I'm not sure now. I'd have to teach myself how to knit using a magic loop. I'm sure I could figure it out, but I'd  really like to do something easy and relaxing like that blanket was.     One project I was going to do is to crochet all the granny squares I have together to make a nice little blanket for Willow. It would be fun and relaxing, but it would be hard to take all those granny squares to Door County with me. The same is true for the sample blanket that I want to start. (although I could take a few small balls of yarn along and some stitch patterns to m
Read more