I Thought It Might Come In Handy

I just read my friend Athene's blog post entitled, "The Best Things In Life Are Random". In it, she talks about how getting a gift for no reason is often times better than getting forced gifts, such as during the holidays. I am in total agreement with her.

Take today for example. I went to pick up Mother for the 110th Homecoming at Simmons Hill Baptist Church, a tradition we never miss, and when I walk in the door, we say hello, she gets out of her chair and goes to her bedroom. When she returns, she is carrying something rolled up, hands it to me and asks, "Can you wear these?" I looked down and saw it to be one new pair of white cotton panties, still rolled and taped, right out of the package. I answered honestly, "I don't know. But I will try them." She says, "Well if you can't wear them, I can." This is so funny to me but I don't dare laugh. I respond with, "Well do you want them?" and she says, "Well I've got some. I wanted to give these to you." And so I take them and say, "I want them" and although they are still rolled into the shape of the package, I assure her that yes, I believe they will fit.

Back to Athene's blog, the random gift thing. Today, when I woke up, I had no idea I would be getting a new pair of undies. I didn't have to go to the store, I didn't have to choose what style, I didn't even have to pay for them. I got them because someone thought about me when they bought a multi-pack of white underwear. It's not that she couldn't use them for herself, it was that she wanted me to have them.

Aren't moms grand? The most random of gifts can be special because they come from the heart. Even though I definitely see the humor in this story, I don't think I really have the right to laugh. You see, the last time I visited my daughter's apartment, I took her 6 packages of Ramen noodles. The time before that, I took her a stack of All You magazines for her and her roommates to read. Why? Because they might be bored. In fact, almost weekly, I'm bringing her something that she probably never knew she needed but every time I ask her, "Do you want this? I thought it might come in handy", she always appeases me with an enthusiastic, "Sure!" Mothers are a special breed, that's for sure. Whether our children are 18 or 38, they are always on our minds and in our hearts and we try to help them any way we can, even in the smallest of gestures. There are probably some really complicated definitions of love out there, but when you break it down, it's that right there. It's ramen noodles and second-hand magazines and a touchlight for when the lights go out and a $15 tv from goodwill for your living room to get you & your roommates interacting....

So yep, that's love allright, still rolled and taped up, right out of the package.