Roland’s Favorite Gift


Whenever Roland has been approached by Jenna or the boys for whatever occasion (Christmas, birthday) they ask what he wants and he has always answered a homemade card – which Jenna did when she was younger.  But it seems a bit hopeless to make a card for someone who makes cards like these:

 
Christmas 2016

Christmas 2018

Christmas 2019

2019


I had looked for something to give Roland for Christmas and when I started wrapping other presents I realized that I might not have a gift to have for him on Christmas and quickly wrote this poem:


He thought it was great.  I was more surprised by his reaction than I was pleased as I had felt somewhat ashamed of not spending as much time on it as he believes I did.  I am happy that he liked it – or likes it rather.  He shared it with his mom over the phone.  She also thought it wonderful.  Okay.  Cool.  I seemed to have succeeded without really trying.  How awesome is that.

Because a single sheet of paper does not carry a lot in weight, I included a puzzle which was already in our possession.  I did it to add weight, but Roland didn’t remember having it and thought it was a part of the gift and we put it together Christmas afternoon.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Where is 28 in 2012?

Image
I remember watching a documentary with my mom in 1991.   It was called Age 7 in America.   At least I think that’s what it was called.   I don’t know who’s responsible for making it.   It looks like it may have been created by Christopher Quinn patterned after an idea done in Britain?   I don’t even recall which network sponsored the program.   Quinn (who also narrated the film) told us that the plan was to follow a number of children from different backgrounds and upbringings and interview them every seven years. I remember looking for “Age 14 in America” but not finding it.   I don’t know what prompted me to look it up on YouTube this year – but I did find it.   Age 7, age 14 and age 21 (thank you Orletta Crichlow) and watched Up 21and was really quite impressed. Years ago, when my mom and I had been watching, there were three girls wearing school uniforms.   As they were being interviewed, the one in the middle...
Read more

Unstaged Reality

Image
I don’t much care for reality shows.   As a whole, I think so many started out as bogus – though there are some really good ones now.   I don’t watch the Biggest Loser, but that is at least believable as being real. So many of the first reality shows introduced were “staged”.           Over five years ago TBS advertised one called “He’s a Lady”.   I would roll my eyes every time I saw the commercial.   And yet, I must have been intrigued.   Must have had some sense of morbid curiosity.   Why would a guy subject himself to follow in a woman’s footsteps for 6 weeks or two months or whatever it was.   How about a quarter of a million prize money?   Or the “false” advertisement which drew them to enter in the first place?           There were at least eleven candidates who had applied for “The All American Man” contest – prove to the nation just who w...
Read more

Learning Geography part 2: South America and Flags

Image
Jenna and I have played “Crazy Countries” a game much like Crazy 8  Of course the Africa continent deck has a lot more cards than say Oceania or South America deck and so we of course don’t play with all of the cards.  We’re not learning countries so much as continents – for I have told Jenna that whenever we use a wild card to change suit, we have to say by continent rather than color. I took Spanish in 9 th and 10 th grade.  In my first year, part of our lessons included studying  the countries in South America .  We were also assigned pen pals to correspond with in hopes that it would help us learn our Spanish and assist our pen pal with his or her English. The map of South America looks the same way I remember it looking in 1975.  It looks the same way today.  And I am impressed by the stableness of the boundaries.  It makes geography so much easier to learn (and share).   After playing “Crazy Countri...
Read more