time over money

people often feel that spending money on you is a way to show they care. they buy gifts of flowers, jewelry, dinners, etc. as a show of appreciation.

and gifting IS a gift and IS a way to show love, kindness and appreciation. in fact, we should all give to others way more than we do, even in little ways.

but i just wish more people understood that simply spending time with someone can be the greatest gift you could ever give to someone.

instead of writing a check to a charity, donate your time - volunteer.
instead of buying your wife or significant other a necklace or bracelet for your anniversary or other special occasion, spend some one-on-one time with her doing something romantic, just the two of you.
instead of spending hundreds of dollars on toys and games, take your kids to a local beach or a park; go to their school games and recitals. your kids would rather have YOU than your money.

i don't ask for much. i've never been the girl who wants a guy to take me on shopping sprees, to buy diamonds and pay my bills for me, to wine and dine me in posh restaurants. i've always been the girl who wants a guy to walk around a lake with me and hold my hand, to sit on the couch and watch tv movies with me, to sit and talk for hours about nothing.

the most money any of that may cost you is perhaps for the gas in your car. that's it.

just like with my father - even though i'm 27 years old, he still tries to show his care for me by giving me a $20 when i see him. i wish he understood that i'd appreciate him just giving me a phone call once in awhile. that would cost him nothing. or when we were kids, instead of him buying us things, we would have loved for him to come to our choir concerts, our plays, anything.

and please don't comment and say that that's all some people know how to do. while that may be how some people were raised, that's not how you have to remain. people aren't oblivious - they know what other people really want or need from them (especially when people like me SAY it, more than once). yet they're too afraid, too prideful, too uncomfortable to step out beyond themselves.

sometimes i wonder if i'm just not worth the time. maybe i'm the kind of person people would rather throw money at from a distance rather than to get close to. it's kind of hard to not feel that way when the people you care about the most would rather be anywhere else but with you.

so for this weekend's Mother's Day, if you have access to your Mom, do something nice with her. save your money and the stress of buying presents, and just spend time with her. make her a meal at home with your own two hands instead of taking her out to dinner. hug her and shower her with kisses, talk with her, ask her how she's doing and what she needs.

i'm sure she'd love that more than anything off of any shelf.

to ALL the Mama's out there - be it birth mothers, stepmothers, foster mothers, adoptive mothers, guardians raising children who needed a loving home, expectant mothers, ANY woman who has EVER mothered a child in any way...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! i am praying for you all, that God shows His love for you through the love and warmth of someone special in your life.

have a blessed weekend.