gifts of the heart...

i'm probably a hard person to buy a gift for.  especially lately, with all of the de-cluttering i have been doing.  but i think i'm pretty simple.  ridiculously simple maybe.  you don't have to buy me anything.  i love homemade gifts, like the little paintings my artist daughter is always surprising me with.

 or those scrappy little notes the kids used to write when they were younger.  i have a little wooden box full of them that i look through when i need cheering up.  

i love little dusty treasures from dark and mysterious shops.  especially books.     

i love gifts of nature.  my mother-in-law surprised me recently with these little white rocks.  she said she knew i liked the white ones.  that really touched my heart.  that she knows that about me and that she would think to pick up some rocks and carry them around in her purse until she saw me next.  

my best gift of all this year was on my birthday.  i was a little sad that my college girl would not be there.  she usually makes me a wonderful cake.  i was in the kitchen the day before, cooking, when i heard my husband come in from work.  i was absorbed in what i was doing and i didn't look up.  imagine my surprise, when i heard her voice.  a complete surprise...it brought tears to my eyes.  he had told me he would be in an all day meeting, so i probably wouldn't hear from him, when actually he was driving the few hours to get her.  that was a good one.

my mom was going to celebrate a big birthday this year.  i thought about what to get her.  i always make her a journal of some sort, but i didn't have any new ideas.  besides, i was thinking, i'm sure she hasn't filled them all up yet, so maybe she didn't need another one.  i asked my husband for ideas.  he suggested going to NY to surprise her.  but it's only a few days away i thought.  i'm not actually a very spontaneous person.  i like to plan things.  but he kept at it.  what else do we have to do?  i couldn't think of anything, except laundry and well...there's always that.  i tried to think of some reasons why we shouldn't go.  two days of driving for one day of visiting.  seemed a little crazy.  but i realized i wanted to go.  i kept thinking, if i don't go, i'm going to wish that i had.  and if there's one thing i know for sure it's this...always listen to what your heart is telling you and you won't have regrets.  always.  listen.  so...         

we did it.  we took the 9 hour drive on friday.  i could hardly wait until party time on saturday.  we hid our car in my brothers' garage.  we locked the door.  and when she rang the bell, i opened the door with a big grin.  the look on her face was priceless and i imagine it was similar to the look that i had when my daughter surprised me.  the best gift ever, she said.  and that made me so happy that i had decided to go.  i thought about it on the long drive home sunday.  these gifts from the heart...they are all about love...that's what makes such simple things so special.  small gestures of love to be treasured forever in our hearts...