Mac 4 Mom

As an only child from a family spread across the country, I’ve never been involved in a group gift.  So when Gerry suggested we should get everyone to contribute to a group gift for Mom’s retirement present, my first reaction was “everyone”?  Who is this “everyone” he’s talking about?

You see, Gerry comes from a huge family. He has at least a dozen aunts & uncles. Each of them has 2 or more or many more kids. So when someone in his family decides a group gift is the way to go, they all toss in $5 and buy a BMW.  Or at least that’s how it feels.  It’s actually incredible to watch.

My family, for the most part, has consisted of me and mom, or me and dad… with an odd cousin thrown in occasionally.

So imagine my surprise when I realized we are already almost 30% of the way towards getting Mom her MacBook for a retirement present.

I guess I forgot how much impact Mom has had in people’s lives. How many cousins have actually lived with her. How many people she’s looked after when they were sick. How many hard truths she’s told to help people get back on their feet.

How many kids she’s taught, lives she’s touched and smiles she’s shared.

I don’t talk about my mother very often. It’s not because she’s not exceptional. It’s because I take her for granted.

I’m realizing now that everyone else doesn’t.