Breakfast Sandwich To-Go
An awesome woman I know just finished celebrating her annual “Mama Days.” She has three children. Once a year she takes three days off from work and dedicates an entire day to each of her kids. From the moment they wake up in the morning until the day is done, each of the kids gets to choose what he or she wants to do, all day just with Mom (similar to Jennifer Garner’s movie, “Yes Day”). She commemorates the days’ events by posting the most heartfelt pictures and stories on Facebook about their adventures— from the zoo, to pedicures, to virtual reality gaming. Each child— unique in his or her own way—chooses completely different activities from their siblings. You can imagine this takes tremendous dedication and commitment on mom’s part to follow through with this tradition every year. She wouldn’t miss it, and says the kids look forward to their Mama Days as much as they do Christmas morning.
My friend Jack has an 89-year-old mother. Although his life is busy running his company and spending time with his young grandkids, he dedicates every Sunday morning to his mother. Since she no longer drives, he picks her up at 8:30am and takes her across town to her church for 9am mass. They sit in the same pew every week. He helps his mom with all the rituals, walks with her to the front of the church at the end of mass to receive communion, and safely gets her back to the car. Then they go to McDonalds’s for her favorite breakfast: a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, hash browns, and a small coffee. She loves going to the drive-though and having a “car picnic” in the parking lot with her breakfast-sandwich-to-go. She looks forward to one-on-one time with her son, and calls him an angel for consistently doing this with her.
Aunt Alice lives in Florida. Most of her family lives in Connecticut, including her youngest niece Emily. Emily is working on her master’s degree in education, teaching part-time in a local elementary school, and has a busy life. However, she makes time to call Aunt Alice once a week on her commute to work. Each Monday at 7:10am, Emily shares about lesson plans and ideas she has for the students, and Aunt Alice always offers additional opinions. For Emily, it’s an easy 10-minute call to her favorite Auntie. Aunt Alice will tell you it’s the highlight of her week.
What kinds of traditions do you keep in place for other people?
Do you carve out time each month for your great grandfather in the nursing home, or bring your elderly uncle to the cemetery so he can “visit” with his wife who died years ago? What small effort do you continue to make on a regular basis that makes a big difference for someone else?
When I was in high school, my favorite teacher Sister Catherine was a big fan of the Jubilee Roll from Friendly’s Ice Cream- and it only came out during the Christmas season. I used to bring one to her right before Christmas break every year— and for years after graduation when I was home from college, I’d take a ride to Friendly’s and drop off a Jubilee Roll at the convent where Sr. Catherine lived. It was a small errand for me, but it was so special for her.
My mom is a retired hair dresser, yet continues to make house calls to a small group of elderly clients who are home bound. Mom calls it “no big deal,” but to the clients who are looking spiffy after mom’s visit, it’s a very big deal.
Is there someone you can reach out to who might not have the freedom, flexibility or mobility you have? Is there a child who could use some individual attention from you? Is there someone who’d appreciate a breakfast-sandwich-to-go and a chance to spend an occasional Sunday morning with you? If so, maybe this is the week you carve out time for those special people and get them on your calendar.
This Week’s Resources
In and of Itself
I watched the Netflix special In and of Itself over the weekend. It’s an off-Broadway show-meets-magic-meets-profound-human-connection. At least that’s what I think it was about. I was so intrigued by it that I re-watched it two days later. I’m still not exactly sure what it all meant, but I know I really enjoyed it. If you have time to watch it, please let me know what your interpretation is of the Rollatista, and what you believe the overarching message he is trying to convey to the audience.
In Lieu of Flowers
When someone passes away, the tradition is to send flowers to the family with your condolences. However, I have a hard time sending something in memory of a deceased person that is also going to die within a week. I often look for something longer-lasting than flowers, and recently came across this company. They make memorial wind chimes. They are a thoughtful gift, can be engraved with the name of the person you’re memorializing, and the gift will last a lot longer than a week! https://whimsicalwinds.com/Category/Memorial_Wind_Chimes
Having Trouble Waking Up in the Morning?
If you’re like many people, you may have difficulty waking up in the morning. Phillips has created an innovative product to help you. The Sleep and Wake Up Light gradually increases it’s light intensity before your alarm time. Over the course of 30 minutes, the light will glow a soft morning red and gradually increase to orange, until your room is filled with bright yellow light. The device creates a natural stimulation to wake you up. By the time light has filled the room, natural sounds complete your wake up experience, leaving you ready for the day. Check it out here: https://www.usa.philips.com/c-p/HF3650_60/smartsleep-sleep-and-wake-up-light
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