Be Still Tuesday...The Gift of Time

"Games are outgrown and toys decay, but he'll never forget if you give him a day." ~Unknown

Two and a half weeks after I turned eight years old, I was awoken one early morning by my stepfather, Doug. I remember feeling a little confused because my mother was always the one to wake me, which usually took several tries. (Dracen comes by it honestly). 

But on this out-of-the-ordinary morning, I recall a sort of magical peacefulness in the air for reasons I was unaware until he spoke the words,  "You have a little brother. Danny Ray is here." He was a whole month early but a healthy baby boy.

That was thirty-four years ago today. (Happy Birthday, Danny!) 

The only thing just as exciting as getting a baby brother was something my mom called maternity leave. I think she only got something like six weeks but I was over the moon because she had always worked outside the home. 

I have precisely two memories from those weeks...

The first time I rode the bus home (it was a different bus since I usually rode a bus to my babysitter's house across town), the bus driver drove right past my house and I, being the extreme introvert that I was, didn't say a word...just kept on riding the bus. The bus was empty and parked before the driver noticed me sitting quietly in the back, staring out the window. I don't remember the details but my mom was notified and I got home somehow. 

The other memory came to mind the other day, just out of the blue, so I thought I'd share it here today...

Just like most kids in the 70's and 80's, I loved playing board games...Monopoly, LIFE, Payday, Sorry, Clue, and a little less well-known one that was right up my girly girl alley, What Shall I Wear? (anybody else remember that one?). I got off the school bus one afternoon during the maternity leave and walked in the back door to be greeted by my mom's smiling face, along with this game set up and ready to play on the kitchen table. 

I felt so extra special and loved in that moment which is no doubt why that particular memory has managed to stay with me for all these years while so many others have been lost with passing time.

Though I didn't know it back then, she was no doubt exhausted and probably feeling a little overwhelmed, just as most mothers are with a new baby in the house, yet she made a conscious choice to give those few precious minutes of her time to me... 

And look what happened. 

Thirty-four years later it remains a treasured memory in my heart which just goes to show that the best gift we can give simply is, was, and always will be that of our time and our presence. 

Can you recall a moment when someone made you feel special by the giving of their time?