And you know, love might also be understood to be about planning. Being a spontaneous kind of person, planning is not one of my virtues. But if you're a good planner, people can feel your love through the way you plan something that they will be a part of. That's what I need to learn to do. Can you learn to think about something way ahead of time and plan out the details for it? Can you learn it after you've already lived more than a half-century without understanding how to do it?
So, we were on our way to Texas for a big family reunion. As the time grew close for leaving, I started going through the whole "how to show my love" thing... while all the time, my parents and sibs were most probably putting their thoughts into constructive action plans! No wonder I felt all their love so clearly when I got there! And where was I??? Wasting time, thinking without planning! But okay, I finally did have an idea that excited me. The idea was to give them each a special little jewelry box, and I spent a few days getting the tools and supplies I would need, thinking how I would do it (warming up so to speak) and then finally, actually painting the boxes. I wasn't completely satisfied with the results, went back and forth between finding them each splendid and lovely, and seeing them as totally amateur and ridiculous. But my kids convinced me they were good gifts - remember, I wanted them to be something that would show my real love! And I even wrote little inscriptions on the bottom so they would understand the symbols I had painted on the tops.
I wrapped them carefully in bubble wrap and set them aside to pack at the top of the gift bag. And that was the night before we left. The next morning we started out very early on our trip - a 2,000 km. drive across the border and into Texas. It was a good drive and we were all in great spirits.
I'll blog about the trip itself, the incredible birthday party for my dad, (well planned of course!) the family reunion fun (with everyone on the ball except yours truly), the family picture fun (my kind of spontaneous but it turned out so fine too), and all the other lovely moments with my family... after I get this "confession" (and I'm not even Catholic) part out of my system. Because what happened was, when it came time for me to give out my gifts, it turned out that I forgot to pack the most essential ones! Typical.
So here they are: the three little boxes. To those they were meant for, with love, from minshap.
P.S. Maybe I'll get better about planning this next year. It's only one of the many things I need to get better on... but more about new year's resolutions in the next blog. Meanwhile, HAVE A HAPPY BRINGING IN OF 2010. I gotta go get ready for it myself! See what I mean?? It's almost upon us, and I'm just starting to really think about it!!!
