This past week I was cleaning my sons’ rooms and I discovered this in one of their drawers:
As soon as I saw it, I knew it was my Christmas present from the boys. At first I was going to leave it alone, but curiosity got the best of me. I reached in the drawer and peered into the paper envelope. This is what I saw:
I could not believe my eyes. Here was a candy cane and a dollar from their allowance. As I looked at this gift, my heart melted. That dollar may as well have been a thousand. It is honestly the best present I think I’ve ever (almost) received. This gift is such a gesture.
So often, I worry that my two boys are being spoiled by all that our consumer-crazed society throws at them. The daily chorus of “I want…” echoes through our house. And yet, this kindness speaks volumes. I love that my sons gave me (and my wife–her envelopes are under mine) money from their own bank. They quietly went about making these cards, and stuffing them with what they had. Moreover, I love that they think a dollar is a lot. For me, that dollar is priceless.
Now, I have to act surprised when they give me the cards. I thought of different ways I could spend the money so they know how much I appreciate it. I contemplated buying a lottery ticket or two, but then I envisioned my sons at Gambler‘s Anonymous years from now–together– saying they first fell in love with gambling when their dad took them to buy a lottery ticket with their money! I think I will save these bills, put them away in a book or my own drawer, to always remind me of the beauty that can be found in the smallest of gestures. This Christmas, in our house at least, a dollar will certainly go a very long way.
Could always put them in a frame. 🙂
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you’ve raised great kids!
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What a beautiful post, thanks for the smile.
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I’m knee deep in stuff and just wanted to ask: have I missed the ending to the swing story… this is almost as gripping as the ending to HomeLands… which views tonight….
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Seriously, this story is adorable on a million levels.
BUT, I need to know how the swing story endsssss!!!
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u made me so warm a tear welled up. you are a great daddy!
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Really adorable! What good boys you have! Mary Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2012 17:04:45 +0000 To: mpaparone@msn.com
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I call that a *Le Sigh* moment..
Your boys love you and that my friend is worth all their weight in Gold..
Merry Christmas to you and those thoughtful boys!!
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So nice of the boys, but shame on you for peeking dad! 😉
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My heart is melting. I’m so glad you shared this!
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How precious.
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How beautiful. I have been concerned that my boys might end up spoiled as well. But then they so sweet things, out of the kindness in their hearts, just because. We try to lead by example…its just so heartwarming to know its getting thru to them ❤ merry christmas
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Absolutely precious… made my heart melt, too.
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My son did something like that for me when he was little.I cherished that dollar and put it in my jewelry box where I have their baby teeth and other things that mean so much to me.Years later when he was a grown man we got talking about it and he told me he gave his little sister two dimes for the dollar!
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This comment made me laugh so hard. Typical of kids:) Thanks for being such a loyal reader. Happy New Year.
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How cute!! I love that my cousin only wants me to take him to eat as his present. It gives us time to bond and talk about life while I get to introduce him to all the new delicious food places I’ve discovered. It’s a win-win really 🙂
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How are you gonna act surprised? I mean it’s kinda hard. 😀 And you’ve raised great kids even though they’re young. 😀 Keep it up.
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