Brian Miller of waystationone has been Tweeting and blogging about his upcoming birthday. He has been threatening to sneak a peek at what his sons have bought him. I keep telling him that the surprise is the best part of the experience. I may have threatened to slap his hand if he cheated, but maybe not. I know I was tempted.
Our conversation brought to mind a story my older sister, Gracie, told me about a long-ago Mother's Day when she got a surprise.
Heh. I can hear her now. If she reads this, she'll be saying, "Hey, watch it! It wasn't that long ago!" - but her children are adults now, and the story is about when they were little kids like Brian's.
It seems that as Mother's Day approached, her 6- and 9-year old daughters wanted very much to buy her a present, so the day before Mother's Day, she asked their dad to take them shopping, and he did. The whole family went to the mall, and after only a few minutes, the girls and their father re-appeared, bearing a very large plastic bag. Both girls were giggly and jittery-squirmy and could hardly bear not to tell their mother what they had bought her. Several times, they said "Mommy, do you want to see your present?"
"No, dear. It's not Mother's Day yet. We have to wait."
Eyes wide, jumping up and down, they insisted - "But it's the most wonderful present in the world!"
"I'm sure it is, dear - but we have to wait for Mother's Day."
"Ple-e--e-e-e-e-e-ze, Mommy."
"Not yet, dear."
Rinse. Repeat several times over the course of the evening. (My sister is a Mean Mother.)
Anyway, Mother's Day finally arrived. First thing in the morning, the girls appeared in their mother's bedroom doorway. "Happy Mother's Day! Please, Mommy, can we show you your present now?" They were jumping up and down again.
"Okay."
The girls disappeared for a moment, then reappeared, bearing the large gift, now wrapped - after a fashion.
"Oh, Mommy. You're going to love it. It's the most wonderful present in the world!"
"I'm sure I will. Thank you."
Gracie tore open the package while her daughters looked on. Then she grabbed the girls and gave each one a big hug and a kiss. She had tears in her eyes.
Her present was a
huge
Styrofoam
chicken.
To this day, Gracie says "You know, that was the most wonderful present in the world."
Now do you see what I mean, Brian?
12 comments:
smiles. Can't wait to hear what Brian gets for his birthday now!
You told the story very well!
Hi, Cinnamon. If Brian gets a styrofoam chicken, I'll feel terrible for giving him a hint.
oh! Laughing!!!!!
I remember when I peeked at my christmas presents one year - my mom had shown them to my friend, and my friend then said "I know where your presents are hidden, wanna see them?" I said "YES" - well, she showed me everyone- and come christmas morning, there were no surprises - I knew everything -- and it was the worst christmas Ever! I never did that again!
Hah! Great post! I remember learning that lesson one Christmas, when my curiosity ruined all the surprises for me. :(
Awesome!
What a funny story! Tho I think I might like a styrofoam chicken....
I am glad to see the Kathryn and Wings learned their lesson well. Megan, thank you very much.
John, John, John... ;>) Actually, Gracie really did think that chicken was the best present in the world. She treasured it for years. Then her (now ex-) husband threw it away, which explains everything.
I like the idea of that chicken, just not sure where I would get one.
I am good with waiting for presents that are being given to me, but once I have bought something for someone else, I just have to give it to them. Now.
Sandra I could sense the tone towards the, ahem, gift, by the actions of the girls( you describe it so well ). Wasn't ready for the styro-chicken tho'-LOL! The ending does very nice, indeed :)
Barb, I'm not sure where to get the chicken, but if you like, I'll ask my nieces. ;>)
Subby, I don't think my sister was ready for it, either -
That was a great story! The chicken made me giggle :-)
Hi, Dot-Com. I'm glad we've had this little chat, all of us, because now I'm hatching an idea. Oops. Can't discuss. You never know who's listening.
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