Show and Tell

Another week of Mel's Show and Tell! This one is in honor of my Mom, who turns 39 today. (But she doesn't look a day over 35.) HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

What I am bringing to class:

About four or five years ago, I got it in my head that I wanted a Cookie Monster cookie jar. No, let me rephrase that. I needed a Cookie Monster cookie jar. I'm not really sure why -- just putting up one last eek of resistance to becoming a Grown Up, I suppose. Being set on my conquest, I immediately headed to the mecca of all things kitschy: eBay. I was an online auction newb at that time, and sadly, I was outbid on the jar. Not surprising for such a hot item, right?

Meanwhile, anyone who knows my mother would surely agree that generosity is her greatest virtue. (Remember #91 on my list? I inherited my "love language" directly from her.) She is simply the most thoughtful person I have ever met. Always attuned to the needs of her family and friends, Mom does all in her power to ensure that no one goes without.

As a prime example, I remember one Christmas that my Grandma decided to add some additional fun to our annual holiday gathering with a variation of the white elephant swap. She had two black garbage bags (one for girls and one for boys) that she filled with cute and useful little objects. We went around in a circle, and each person could either pick a new gift from the appropriate bag, or “steal” a gift from someone else who had gone before. Unfortunately, the game ended up to be rather a flop. We are rule followers in my family, and my poor Grandma was not prepared for the barrage of questions (“What if a girl wants an item that came from the boy bag?”). This particular trait may be greatly valued by our respective employers, but it's not conducive to an informal game of gift swapping. My favorite memory from that ill-fated attempt at frivolity was when my DH pulled a pair of black gloves (worth about $5) from the boy bag. Being the polite and pleasant person he is, DH remarked that they were just what he needed for winter, as his hands were cold when he drove to and from work. When my uncle’s turn came, completely keeping with the rules and spirit of the game, he “stole” the gloves from my DH, who then picked a new gift from the boy bag. Next was my Mom’s turn. She got up, walked over to my uncle, snatched the gloves, walked over to DH, put the gloves on his lap, and returned to her seat without any gift of her own.

It was the nail in the coffin of that game, you might say. To this day, I still laugh out loud picturing it. (And, incidentally, DH still uses those gloves.)

Anyway, back to my Show and Tell. You can probably guess what happened after I lost my eBay quest. My Mom set up her own eBay account and wouldn’t rest until I was the proud owner of a Cookie Monster cookie jar. It’s been in our kitchen ever since, filled with stale Oreos that my Dad still eats when he visits, despite my advice to carbon date them first. The googly eyes always make me smile, a reminder of sunny Sesame Street memories and a mother who doesn't let 2200 miles stop her from making sure I have what I need -- even when it's just a place to conduct experiments in cookie decomposition.

I love you, Mom!