My reflections I shared with a friend this heart-felt Mother's Day... I thought I would share with all...

What is the perfect gift?

I have been giving a great deal of consideration lately to gifts. I agonize for weeks over what to get the mothers in my life. It just seems to me that my ideas are always so trivial, so trite, so…not adequate enough…so meaningless…so heartless. I could not help but to wonder how many picture frames and flower-pots can one mother could be happy to receive?

I simply seek to give the perfect gift.

Store after store I have wandered only to leave empty handed…and, ultimately, empty hearted. I felt so defeated.

Should gift giving be so complex?

Yesterday, Eric asked me what I wanted for Mother’s Day. “Are you kidding me? I asked. “Nothing…help me find something decent for our moms…that is what I want…I just want the perfect gift!” But as our conversation heated and ensued, Grayson crawled into the room covered in a blanket I had told him at least 110 times NOT to take out of the playroom. “Why can’t he follow instructions?” I wanted to scream!

From under the blanket he pleads innocently, “Mommy, open your present!”

I sighed as I lifted the blanket from him and jumped as he yelled, “Surprise!” I only half-heartedly played along, and immediately began to tell him to go and put the blanket away. Interrupting me as I began my pleas, G asks, “Is my gift perfect?”

I was taken back, and, instantly I realized…

“You are the most perfect gift…absolutely. There is nothing more perfect than you…”

How could I have been so naïve? How could I have been so shallow? I feel so foolish…I had searched for so long, when the most perfect gifts had always been there…

I continue to give great thought to the most perfect gifts…I have taken into consideration all of the thought and effort that I give when I look for a gift. Wow, if I do all of this I thought to myself, oh, what the Lord must do…

Having the privilege to be chosen to be a mother has to be the greatest gift one could ever receive. The Lord gave such great thought when he chose each of us and the gifts with which we have been blessed…they are perfect…

May you cherish each of your perfect gifts...