Weird Things My Kid Gave Me…!
I don’t post much about my Stepdaughter on social media or my blog because I want to be respectful of her privacy. That being said, here is my post dedicated to her…
My lovely, wickedly smart Stepdaughter came to me courtesy of the man of my dreams, Brian. When I first met her, she was sporting a stylish pair of pink plastic sunglasses that fit perfectly on her big, round head. As they approached my house in their car, she had the back window down, and the wind blowing wildly through her wispy white locks. Propped up like a queen on her throne in her little car seat, she was belting out the back-up lyrics to the song ‘The Dream Police’ (poe-leez, poe-leez).
Even being a little tyke of just 3-years old, she already possessed the sage wisdom of knowing the world was her oyster and she had it wrapped comfortably around her teeny-tiny pinkie. Similar to her father, it was love at first sight…
Over the years, our daughter has given me some of the most strange, yet amazing gifts. Here are just a few of them.
Guatemalan Worry Doll
Shortly after we were married, my beloved Mother fell and broke her hip, leading to her moving out of her home and into an assisted living facility. There were so many logistics to work out at that time, and I frequently found myself up in the middle of the night worrying about her.
One night when our daughter got up to wee, half asleep she wandered into the office where I was sitting. Her little eyes were squinting as she entered and inquired as to why I wasn’t sleeping like everybody else in the family? I told her I was worried about Grammy’s happiness.
The next day when I picked her up from kindergarten, she presented me with this tiny worry doll (Muñeca quitapena) from Guatemala. She explained that the worry doll would take all my troubles and worries away, so I could get some well-deserved sleep.
Her logic and sweet thoughtfulness brought me instantly to tears and the little doll has remained on my nightstand ever since…
(Gosh, I wonder if they have these mini-dolls to address the night sweats of menopause…?!!!)
Blue-Eyed Frog
While our daughter attended elementary school, I volunteered as an art class assistant each year. In third grade, we worked with clay and created figurines. Our little artist made a funny frog with huge eyes and a big open mouth. After glazing and going through the kiln, the masterpieces were returned to their rightful owners. On the way home from school, I was presented with a neon green frog with blue eyes as a gift. As she explained, the frog had blue eyes like ours, so she thought I should keep it. To this day that silly frog sits on my desk and looks at me while I work on my blog.
Origami Heart
Many years ago, I was given this origami heart on Valentine’s Day as a gift. Apparently, while learning the basics of the art of origami, our daughter was told “Love is delicate and beautiful, just like origami…” When she shared that with me, again I shed tears of joy.
Little Glass Bee
One of the many reasons my husband is the incredible man he is happens to be is his amazing mother ‘Lu’. She has a heart of gold, a wicked sense of humor, and a creative, thoughtful, brilliant mind. Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better Mother-in-law.
Over the years, we have enjoyed sharing summer holidays at Lake Tahoe with Brian’s parents in tow. One day, after enjoying breakfast in the mountain town of Truckee, we decided to do a bit of shopping. We wandered the various shops for an hour or so, before the boys (Brian and his Father) declared ‘shopping-legs’, which meant they were done!
As we piled into the car to return to the cabin, our daughter handed me a wadded up piece of decorative tissue. Confused, I slowly unwrapped the tiny gift and found this beautiful glass bee. I squealed with delight because I love, love, love bees! (Please visit ‘Bee Cause’ on this blog in the category of Health & Nutrition. ? ? ?)
I then learned of the stealthy maneuvering of our Grandma/Grand-daughter team during our post-breakfast shopping trip. Since that day the sweet glass bee has lived in my purse, where I frequently find it in my hand while searching for my keys or a rogue lipstick.
I am forever grateful for our holidays with Brian’s parents because they both have gifted our family with so much love and kindness.
Fimo Clay Carrot
For many years we grew carrots in our winter garden. So, needless to say, we ate a lot of carrots! As I work in the field of nutrition, I often talk about the nutritional value of various foods we consume, particularly the fresh fruit and vegetables we grow in the garden.
Apparently, our discussion about carrots had a big impact on our daughter, thus she created a little carrot out of fimo clay and gave it to me as a memento of our chat. This is yet another keepsake I have in my office that always brings a smile…
Lemon Lady
We have two very prolific Meyer lemon trees in our yard, which provide us with a year-round stock of fresh, sweet lemons. Frequently while cooking, I’ll ask our daughter to run down to the garden and get me a few lemons. On one such occasion, much to my surprise, this sweet ‘lemon lady’ arrived on the counter among a group of freshly picked lemons. After almost wetting my pants with laughter, I decided we would keep her as a cute kitchen mascot of happiness. Eventually, after almost a month, the lemon lady began to fade, but I kept this picture to remind me of her.
Beaded Bee
On our first Christmas together, Brian gave me a small oil painting by one of my favorite artist Juli Adams. The painting is a blue bee with little fancy red shoes on her feet. Blue Bee is one of my most cherished pieces of artwork.
One day after summer camp, our daughter presented me with her artistic creation of a beaded bee. We sat down together and she told me she had designed it to look like my favorite painting Blue Bee. I was struck by her thoughtfulness and ingenuity in creating such a fabulous gift for me…
My Very Own Meerkat
There is a fabulous bench just outside the meerkat enclosure at the Oakland Zoo where, over the years, we have sat and watched the amusing interactions of the resident clan. They groom each other meticulously, chase each other in and out of their burrows, and hunt insects together, all under the watchful eye of the ultra-paranoid, designated sentry. As a family, we have spent hours laughing and enjoying the many games they play with each other from that well-worn bench.
So, for a significant birthday a few years ago, I received this little plastic meerkat from our daughter as a gift. When I asked her why she chose the meerkat, she said it reminded her of all the fun times we’ve spent watching those silly little rascals at the zoo…
This plastic meerkat sentry now sits just above the stove, and brings a smile every time I look at it!
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It always amazes me the joy a thoughtful gift can have for years and years. I absolutely cherish these funky little treasures as they continue to warm my heart every time I look at them. How fortunate we are as a family to share such a powerfully profound bond of love. My hope is that our family will be a model for our daughter when she creates her own family…
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