All three of “my” holidays fall within a few weeks of each
other. My anniversary is April 27th. Mother’s Day is the second week
of May, closely followed by my birthday on May 28th. To make matters worse, I
am not an easy person to buy gifts for. I am sure this is frustrating for my
husband and kids. Then I came across the perfect solution.
Last year, I asked each of my children and my husband to
memorize a poem for me for Mother’s Day. I gave them several weeks to prepare.
There was only one rule. The poem could be long or short, rhyming or free
verse, but every person had to choose a poem on their own. When Mother’s Day
came, I sat in a place of honor as each of my family members stood in front of
me to recite their poems. I knew they had worked hard on the memorization. I
had overheard whispered chanting behind closed doors for days. I knew they had
thought about their gifts. They had given of their time and their hearts. They
were learning and stretching their brains in the process. All the money in the
world couldn’t have bought a more priceless gift.
I was so touched by each selection. I heard a favorite
passage of scripture, a tribute to mothers, a parable about the power of
teachers, a Shakespeare love sonnet, an ode to chocolate, and even a funny Shel
Silverstein piece. I loved thinking about why they had chosen the poems that
they did. Throughout the recitation, I laughed and cried and cheered with
delight. It became my favorite Mother’s Day of all time. I have already decided
what gift I would like this year. Poems,
anyone?
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