Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

I didn’t blow out the candles.

This weekend was a double whammy: my birthday on Saturday and Mother’s Day on Sunday. That’s a lot of pressure on a husband and kids.

I said I didn’t want a big present. We’re going on a camping trip in June to Mount Rushmore, a two-week trek cross-country, and I figured our discretionary spending needed to be reserved for vacation trinkets and gas money.

I vacillated between having friends over for a cookout, an evening at a local play, or even stealing away for a quick overnight. In the end, we decided to stay close to home and spend the day together.

The kids picked out two bundles of flowers and arranged them in a vase. They helped Daddy cook breakfast, a treat with all of my favorites. We took the kids to ice skating lessons, and my mom and nephew joined us for the afternoon. We played cards and board games and dominos. We laughed a lot.

For dinner, my husband whipped up my favorite meal – schnitzel and spatzle, German dishes that remind me of my birthplace in southern Bavaria.

The next morning, my daughter wanted to fix my hair for church as a Mother’s Day present, and I let her – even though the Katniss/Hunger Games braided twist was a little too youthful. The afternoon was full of more games around the dining room table, a quick nap on the recliner, and dinner with a good friend.

It was a perfect weekend, really, and a wonderful reminder of personal stewardship. Don’t get me wrong – there are times when I love tearing off the wrapping paper or guessing what’s beyond the tissue paper in the cute bag. But gifts of presence don’t fit in a box, gifts of time and talent sustain me long after the body lotion is gone and the jewelry is lost.

I didn’t blow out the candles because I realized I didn’t need to make a wish.

I already have everything I could possibly dream of.