The best gifts you can’t really buy

Recalling memories of my best gifts is a distraction that makes me smile now that my husband is gone.  It’s sometimes hard to smile, but then I focus on good memories and it is hard not to be happy for all those years of gifts and holidays we spent together.

I won’t be going to the Americana Mall in Manhasset, NY this year with Mike. He was so happy that we were finally at the point in our lives where we could afford not to buy a home appliance for a Christmas gift. He loved to spoil me.

We would have a lovely lunch and pick out something nice together. The past few years we would live by his tradition of shopping on Christmas Eve and getting awesome gifts. For me.  That was nice.

On our trip across the country from New York to California we spent my birthday night in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  We were 23 years old and he gave me a pretty silver heart necklace he bought in a local shop. I still love that one because we were young and in love.

The next year he gave me a sapphire necklace, my birthstone.  I wore it every day.

One weekend we drove from San Diego, California where we lived for 8 years, and met my parents in Las Vegas.  We all stayed at the Riviera Hotel on the Strip together.   It was a fun time seeing topless dancers and all that with my dad and husband.

After the show I was brushing my teeth and lost my necklace charm, the sapphire, down the drain in the hotel bathroom. It had sparkled on my neck for 3 months and now it was gone.  I was devastated.

We called housekeeping and 2 men from engineering came up to the room. They did their best to open the drain. It worked. My charm was recovered and worn happily for several more years.

After those sweet adornments, we got married and he gifted me with the role of wife and mother.

I was happy to be married and he was really my best friend.

For my 30th birthday, he was in the delivery room as my first son was born;  what an amazing gift.  Nothing compares to having children.  This kid was the best and we were so blessed.

A few years later came the little brother. Another perfect gift. Double blessings.

We loved them and Mike was the best dad.  It was all about giving them the best opportunities and providing them with important boundaries. They were good students and continue to impress me all the time with their accomplishments and support.

I wish their dad could see them now.

So while I enjoyed the stereo, the new toaster oven, the sentimental jewelry and designer purses, I loved the gifts of my children and their innocent Christmases and the family time that we shared.

I can’t have those days back but I smile that I do have those memories in my heart.

Christmas past, present and future. I cherish the past. Even though I am a widow I  will enjoy my family and friends who are here with me and I will participate in the present. The future is yet to be told.

People are coming here Sunday and I am excited, because I have people.  We will talk about Mike and recall some of his finer attributes like his good cooking, his sense of humor and the music he loved. Hopefully this year’s meal will be acceptable to all.

Anyway, there is shopping to do.  Presents to buy. Food to prepare. A big house to clean. I can do this.

Life is a gift. Merry Christmas.