It’s mid-January. In the northeast. And last weekend, both days, were between 65 and 70 degrees. That is a GIFT. Most weekends I try to do work (blog, apartment, etc) one day, and do something fun the other. To play BOTH days always sets me behind and I play catch-up all the following week.

But THIS WEEKEND WAS A GIFT. And I was not about to pass up such a wonderful gift!

It made me think of the handful of other times in my life that I felt were “gifts.” Those ordinary moments that seem extraordinary. Simple things that feel important.

My daughter was born via c-section, back in the day when they still kept you in the hospital for several days. While I was in the hospital trying to figure out how to baby, my sister arrived from Massachusetts and did a deep clean of my house and put flowers all around. The morning I arrived home, it was one of the first warmish days of spring and she had opened the windows to let in some air. When I walked in (after going through labor, surgery, recovery, attempting to breastfeed, and with a new HUMAN who was totally dependent on me) and the white curtains were billowing in the breeze from the open windows, fresh flowers were delicately scenting the air, the floors were clean, beds made and dishes washed….wow. THAT was a gift. I still think of it as one of my Best Days Ever. Thank you, Sister, for that wonderful gift.

I remember long-ago days when my husband-to-be and I had just starting dating. I had a morning job mucking stalls and exercising polo ponies. I finished up every day around 10am. There were days he’d pick me up and if it was nice we’d go to the deli and get an absolute feast – big sandwiches, giant iced teas, chips, fruit, macaroni and potato salads, desserts – and spread a blanket on the grass at a nearby park. Eat our picnic, chat, then lie on the blanket and usually doze in the warm sunshine. Those days were gifts.

The morning I moved from Brooklyn Apt #2 to Brooklyn Apt #3 Katie showed up to help me. They were the same movers I’d used in the past two (all too recent) moves so they were familiar with my stuff and where it went and they worked super fast and before I knew it they were gone and Katie and I sat on the sofa under the two giant windows facing the street, again, white curtains billowing in the cool breeze (during what had been the hottest month I can remember), and the new place was just quiet and serene and gracious after the bowling alley with no windows I’d been living in for the past eight months.

The evening of my cancer surgery, I had no one there with me. Surgery doesn’t scare me, but that’s a time you just want someone there with you, in your corner. Just minutes before I was scheduled to be wheeled down to the operating room, one of my friends showed up just to wish me luck for the operation and to say she would pray for me. That quick visit meant so much to me. It was a gift. Thank you, my friend.

The day Caleb and I “met” and he almost immediately adopted me as The Mother.

The time I heard an old boyfriend’s voice on the phone after 25+ years and his unmistakable joy in hearing mine.

These are just a handful of moments throughout a lifetime. They are not grand and significant events. I didn’t win the lottery or a trip to Hawaii. These weren’t moments like being called onto stage to accept a college diploma or celebrating a milestone birthday or anniversary. These are just small gifts that happen without planning or preparation.

You never know when the white curtains are going to billow in the breeze…or the January sun unexpectedly warm you while you brunch outdoors with a friend.

You never know when you’re going to receive a gift. But you’ll remember and appreciate it always.

What I Wore:

Thank you to She Who Shall Remain Nameless for the wonderful photos!

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