C.I.
poignant.
Roberta, It's a fantastic thing to have and be friends like that, thanks for sharing.
You've also given me a great idea for my next gift to my parents!
Best:
Dark green Waterman pen, that my Dad gave me when I turned eighteen, because my Grandma used to have one.
Worst:
I don't know, evrything is sentimentally valued even if a bit corny...
Dek, I'm glad you like the idea. I hope you have as much fun giving that gift as I did. And I hope your parents like receiving it as much as my friends did.
Best gift: the good times girls give.
Worst gift: the headaches girls give.
I had this aunt, Aunt Madge. She was born in, I reckon, around 1915. She was one smart lady, was graduated from college and became quite successful in her field. But she had a bit of an abrasive personality: she didn't tolerate "fools" lightly. So she kind of bounced around from job to job in academia.
Anyway, in 1969, I received a package from her. I was in Vietnam with the 101st. July 2nd.
Inside the box, against all rules of course about mailing flamable materials, were a couple dozen "sparklers." Sparklers, for anyone who doesn't know, are about a foot long and, when ignited, shoot off a small display of sparks,
On July 4th, I passed them out to the guys in my unit on our bunker. We fired them up and...well, I wish I could say they burst forth brilliantly, but they didn't. They had been in the mail too long and had absorbed some moisture.
They sputterred, sending out a half-hearted spark every once in awhile. And we laughed. And that was good. That was fun.
I've received a few gifts I didn't care for, but I can honestly say I've never received a bad gift. A lot of good ones come to mind, but realjohnboy's story brought a very special one to mind.
I had a very wonderful boss once when I was desperately poor...right out of college. He became a mentor. I was married at the time, but he didn't know it was a terrible relationship...emotionally abusive, etc. As a reward for taking on a big project at work, he gave me a weeklong trip to the Bahamas. By myself!
I reconnected with this mentor a few years ago. We hadn't seen each other in almost 20 years. I finally had the chance to tell him how much that gift had meant. It probably saved my life at the time. At the very least, it saved my sanity. The two of us have once again become good friends, and we even work on projects together again.
The best thing about middle age is seeing things come full circle.
Very cool ya'll! Keep them comin!
I've told this story before but I'll add it here too. Although it was not really the "best" gift it is the one that I will always remember as being the most important.
When we were kids we were very, very poor. One year for Christmas my mom and dad made a puppets out of socks and scraps and a puppet stage from a big cardboard box. As we truly not in the habit of gifting my three siblings and I greeted this treasure with amazement. I believe this simple gift set us on a course of imagination that has served us well all of our lives.
To this day I delight in handmade gifts and archive them like holy relics.
