day 54: the day's best gift

Today was a day of not too much sibling fighting.

A day of letting me win each game we played.

A day of lunch out at a nice restaurant.

A day of handmade cards, construction paper flowers, a recipe card holder, and coupons for free back rubs and breakfast in bed.

But today's best Mother's Day gift was something my kids gave...but not to me.

Between making Mother's Day gifts for grandmas and great-grandmas and then supper with family, we were able to squeeze in a few minutes of bike riding in the neighborhood. K was showing off her mastered bike riding skills while I was occupied trying to teach R how to ride with those pesky training wheels removed. McK was on her scooter, her tricycle long since outgrown.

"Mom, I think we should sell this little thing," she told me. I had tried to get rid of it at the end of last summer, but she wouldn't even consider it then.

"McKinley, instead of selling it, I'd much rather give..."

"I know!" she quickly interrupted. "Give it to a little girl who doesn't have one!" She hit the nail on the head. I long for my kids to have hearts tuned in to service, and that's exactly the path she was headed down.

A few minutes later, we were in our neighbor's garage. I had seen the mom and her 3-year old daughter leave minutes before on a walk, leaving their garage wide open. She and her husband had divorced not long after their baby girl was born, and the girl was shuffled back and forth. From what I'd seen, she didn't have many playthings. We taped a note on the bike and then hurried back to our driveway to leave for dinner.

The girls were supposed to be buckling themselves in the car while I was grabbing my purse, and I heard a voice yell, "Mom! They're back, and they're walking up our driveway!" So much for keeping our cover.

The little girl must have said "thank you" a dozen times, and McK politely followed each one with a "you're welcome". The looks on both their faces were priceless. I knew then that we were the ones being truly blessed, not them.

The discussion that ensued in the car led to McK saying, "Mommy, it's just like my Sunday School teachers say. That we can show God's love to anyone, even people we don't know!" She was exactly right. Know what happened next? We prayed (with my eyes open, of course), for that mom and her daughter, that God would show them His love, and that He would provide an opportunity for us to invite them to church with us one day soon.

This morning in church, Pastor Matt quoted Scripture that has been in my mind all day: out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

Before we pulled into great-grandma's driveway, McKinley announced, "Mommy, my heart is just extra happy tonight!"

That was the best gift any Mom could receive.