Today’s blog post features the two submissions for our My Best Gift Ever contest. Both entries warm the heart...Please enjoy them.
It happened a long time ago, but it remains a very fond memory. I was a lonely graduate student in Providence, R.I. My boyfriend (now my husband of 58 years!) surprised me by visiting from New York for my birthday. That alone was a gift.
Then he gave me a present – a fluffy pink throw pillow for my bed that had a furry white kitten attached to it. I thought that was very sweet, and I thanked him for it. Then he asked me to unzip the pink pillow cover. Inside was an engagement ring! This is certainly a gift that is most memorable for me. By Stephanie J.
It was December 21st, 1974, a beautiful, cool San Diego day. Our little family, husband, Tom, 4 year-old son and pooch, “Muffin,” had arrived from Michigan only two months earlier. All our families were back East, and no friends here. We had zero knowledge of San Diego. Tom had begun work at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, I was expecting #2 in February and we were all cold. Thinking it was tropical in Southern California, we left warm clothes behind. Oops! Oh…and we had just moved into our first home on Thanksgiving Day. (We had spaghetti at a local eatery.)
Loving to entertain, we had invited fellow Scripps folks for a Christmas Open House. We went to a local tree farm to gather pine clippings to make the house smell nice. Suddenly, I had an EMERGENCY!! and knew I needed to get to the hospital. It wasn’t labor contractions but bleeding. As an RN, I knew it was not a good sign.
Five hours later and major concerns by the obstetrician, I was delivered of a tiny baby girl, Elizabeth. She had to remain in the hospital nursery and I visited daily. When I remarked that my little wrinkled and bald baby looked like a little old man, my pediatrician said he would gladly take her home with him! He already had four daughters.
Then good news when the doctor said, “It’s Christmas Day, so you can take your baby home. Just keep her very warm.” Tiny Elizabeth was glued to me. She slept in a small bassinet placed in the warmest room in the house, the hallway bathroom. I sat on the toilet seat to nurse her. It was like a cocoon. We did fine and she thrived.
Now forty-six years later, my greatest gift continues to give. Elizabeth is an accomplished Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She knows me better than I know myself and offers wise counseling. This has been especially important since Tom passed away six months ago. She keeps me talking, venting and grounded…books, art projects, journaling, puzzles, exercise, etc.
It is my good fortune to have this greatest gift that keeps on giving. By Janet K.
Thank you to Stephanie and Janet for their submissions. Quite wonderful that both gifts are grounded in Love.
We’ll divide the $50 Amazon gift card pool in half, creating two 1st place wins, and email gift cards in the next couple of days.
Readers of this blog may remember that My Best Gift Ever was the Love of Exercise. I want to thank each one of you for the reciprocal gift of being able to share health, fitness and humor through these posts. The writing stirs creativity and improves cognition. You absolutely make my day. WF!
See Below for Fitness Class Information. Everyone Welcome!
Zumba® Gold online classes keep us happy and fit. We dance on Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m. and Fridays at 9:30 a.m..
Newcomers always welcome!
Final class of the year is this Tuesday, December 22, 2020. We’ll reconvene on Tuesday, January 5, 2021.
Remember there are no location boundaries for online classes – you and your friends can live anywhere!
Register for classes through go.gymgo.com/truetomybody. We actually hold each class on Zoom. I email the Zoom log-in code to all Gymgo members on class day. We laugh, dance and have a great time wondering what tech surprise is coming next. Best Zumba® Gold rate is $3.75/per class for 8-class series = $30 prepaid. First class is FREE. E-mail me at cashfit8@gmail.com with questions!
