Day: January 27, 2006

The best gifts cannot be wrapped

By / January 27, 2006 / 19 Comments

Today was my birthday and it was a really good one despite the dearth of wrapped presents. My friend J gave me a zoo/museum pass that will last for a year. Chalain & Chaliren took Howard and I out for dinner. (They probably didn’t intend it as a birthday event, but it was kind of them and I’m claiming it as a birthday gift.) Howard cooked yummy scones for a birthday lunch. The birthday cheesecake was supplied by Howard’s sister. There were also leftovers of an extremely rich chocolate cheescake I froze last fall. Online friends said very kind things about my writing. I always treasure evidence that my writing is appreciated.

The one wrapped gift I opened was a CD from my parents. It is a remastered recording of an old scratched record I loved as a child. (I babble about it here: http://sandratayler.livejournal.com/108782.html) The CD itself is wrapable, but the real gift is the memories attached to the music. I suspect that is true of most gifts that I recieve or give. The wrapped item is only a physical symbol for the love and appreciation that the giver feels.

Howard has been a little sad this year because we couldn’t afford for him to go buy a gift for my birthday. But you see, I don’t need him to. He shows me daily that he loves and appreciates me. I’d much rather save the money and use it to buy more time for Howard and I to make cartooning profitable. Of all possible birthday gifts, that one would be best. It would work great for Howard’s birthday next month too.

It’s been a good birthday. Now I’m officially 33 and it’s a good place to be.

Rabbit holes again

By / January 27, 2006 / 17 Comments

Today is Lewis Carroll’s birthday. I’ve decided I like sharing a birthday with Mr. Carroll. Come with me down the rabbit hole…

“Mommy come and see!” 4 year old Gleek radiated awe and excitement in both her voice and face. I looked at my bills and thought about the waiting piles of laundry. I didn’t really have time to go look at an interesting rock.

“Mommy please! You have to see this!” Gleek had begun to bounce in place. Obviously whatever she had to show me was the most amazing thing she’d ever seen. Or at least the most amazing thing since the rock earlier this morning or yesterday’s bug. I reminded myself that as trivial as these things seem to me, they are truly important to Gleek. Children are little, and so small things are vital. Small things like mommy coming to see the newest discovery. Gleek was tugging on my hand by this time, so I allowed her to pull me from my chair and accompanied her outside.

The first thing I noticed as I stepped out the door was warm air. The air was far too warm for January in Utah. I thought of all the times Gleek protested wearing her coat, saying she wasn’t cold. This was her world and it was warmer than mine.

“There!” whispered Gleek in awe as she pointed to a cloud. It was an interestingly wispy cloud, but still, a cloud.
“Wow, that’s a really interesting cloud.” I feigned enthusiasm.
“No!” Gleek turned on me in disbelief, giving me a look that declared my stupidity and utter blindness. “Not the cloud! Look at the horses!”
“Horses?” Puzzled, I scanned the sky again.
“See? They are dancing in the cloud.” I didn’t see. All I could see was cloud. Then a warm breeze blew across my face and I blinked. Was there movement among the wisps up there? Yes there was. The more I watched, the clearer I could see the herd of flying horses. They did appear to be dancing.

Gleek smiled at me. “They are dancing for the rainbows to come.” Then she led me around the corner of my house to a place where it was summer.

In that place flowers bloomed. The dance of the horses must have worked for a rainbow shafted through the sky to touch the earth and become a rainbowed river. In this place the fairies danced and Gleek danced with them, more beautiful than them all. Then she rode upon a flying horse and danced in the sky to make more rainbows come. I stood to the side and only watched. These sorts of dances were not for me. My feet were too heavy with the weight of responsibility. But as I looked around I realized that this was a place I had been before in a time I only half remembered. In that long ago time I too had danced.

Afternoon fled and Gleek was ready to return indoors. She happily ate a snack and ran off to play a computer game. But I was drawn to the window. The wispy cloud had long since blown away. I stepped outside. A chill January wind whipped past and made me shivver. Snow covered the place where Gleek had danced among flowers.

A child such as Gleek travels roads that are closed to adults. I think that tomorrow I’ll follow her again to see where we go.