Mother’s Day the Right Way – From the Heart

Here It Comes Again… Mother’s Day 2019

Mother’s Day is coming up fast and every year I’m find myself considering the usual – her favorite flowers (in our case, tulips), perfumes and what she might find necessary in and around the house.

In turn, I generally find myself reminding my son that Mother’s Day is imminent and attempting to motivate him, if necessary, to take the impetus and some time to get a card or something, and/or offer to take him to get his own flowers and such. Truly, my son needs no defense. He loves his mother immensely and is generally very thoughtful about these things. I tend to err on the safe side and usually come off as a fatherly nudge.

The Bad Gifts of Old…

I will grudgingly say that most of the gifts I’ve bought for my wife in the past have ended up getting returned. My batting average on this sort of thing would not have placed me in the Husband Hall of Fame by any means. That said, you can imagine the anguish attached to putting my whole self into the process whenever any holidays would roll around. But, if you’re at all like me, usually once I get started on something, I tend to see it through with all the best intentions, however disappointing the outcome.

BTW: If you find that you don’t have the time to read this article now, I would like to invite you to see our best picks for quick Mother’s Day Gift Shopping Guide.  If I may say so, the value of this article shouldn’t be missed.  To that end, I would further invite you to bookmark this page for another time… Bookmark this page.

The Cause of the Problem:

I have almost always had trouble with gift giving, as described. To be completely honest, I’d say that my trouble was based in being to self-centered most of the time. You know; busy life, busy responsibilities, etc. etc. I had no idea what I was missing.

That is until a beloved member of my family, my Aunt, sent me a gift that was straight out of left field… or so it seemed…

Without too much preface, I had mentioned in a very quickly passing moment in what again seemed like a very fast paced family gathering that I wished that I’d picked up an ice bucket prior to the party. I remember saying that I’d thought that it would have rounded out my drink making facility very nicely (To be clear, I had no designs on how to get someone to get me one). I never would have remembered my statement beyond that moment on my own.

I opened the package my Aunt had sent and there it was… a beautiful ice bucket with a very nice note reminding me of the wish I had made and, within the same, the secret to giving the perfect gift.

I stood there in my amazement and I welled up over the fact that I was deemed by someone I respected and loved to be important and valued enough to have been listened to and, in turn, thought of in a way that I hadn’t experienced since childhood. It’s funny sometimes how the proper gesture at just the right time can change lives so dramatically. I mean, I could have easily and, maybe even habitually have let this gesture go by with a blithe “oh, isn’t that nice”. What a shame that would have been and, how ashamed do I feel right now admitting this to be so. I guess I’ve become a “reformed entiltlementist” to coin a term.

The Turnaround!

It was my Aunt’s unforgettable gesture that has become the backbone of this blog site meant to share the very same secret that has brought me and those I know who have employed the same, a real and positive life change.

Since starting this blog site and going through the necessary “re-search” required to get my articles up to a respectable level of actually being able to help someone else in need, I have come across some great ideas and inspirations from some of my more respected relatives and friends; people of real substance and wonderful nature.

I have put these notions, lessons and ideas into action myself and, in doing so, I have actually changed the way that I look at gift giving and surprisingly, my relationships and in turn again, the way I live and see life in virtually every way.

Today, instead of reeling at the prospects and predictable failures of old, I have come to see the holidays, birthdays and anniversary days within the year as real opportunities to show those I mean to please that I really do love and pay attention to them, their lives and aspirations; I have actually found out how to help them celebrate themselves and their lives which, in turn, helps me celebrate my own.

I am telling you that the experience and application of the lessons learned have become quite uplifting for all parties most of the time (I still have some trouble with some folks at times. But, I’m working at it still; always improving I suppose).

Yes, dare I say it, It’s fun; like a hobby, in that you begin to make the conversations into something of a game, if you will. Whenever you’re talking or visiting with the people you love or care for, you listen first for their subject matter and then for the keywords therein – kind of like Amazon’s Alexa – and make a mental note that can be remembered and acted upon later.

To “wrap this up”… (Sorry. Couldn’t resist)

Especially during the holidays, I know in my heart that you will surely find the described approach to gift giving as so much more fun and amazingly effective. It may sound odd, maybe even a little tongue-in-cheek (I swear it’s completely unintentional). However, I can confidently reassure you that once you try this method out for yourself just once, the notion and methods will stick in your heart and you’ll find yourself doing it all the time.

It’s a real phenomenon in that it makes the people you involve that much more fulfilled to know that someone cared enough to truly listen and hear what they had to say. Have you ever had a conversation with someone that left you feeling great about yourself? You too can provide this to the folks you come in contact with and, it’s incredibly easy.

“What you keep to yourself you lose, what you give away, you keep forever.” – Axel Munthe

From: GoodReads.com

One of the best ramifications of putting this strategy into play is that you will begin to look forward to doing the shopping for or creating of the gifts you intend to give. No more avoiding the issue until you find yourself out just starting your shopping on Christmas Eve. If you do this right, you will likely have your Holiday Shopping done before Black Friday. Imagine what that would be like!

Lastly, a word of caution.

Everything has it’s darker side…

It is of the utmost importance that you be completely genuine about this or IT WILL BACKFIRE. No one likes to be placated or deceived. If you’re not coming from the right place with this, your plans, no matter the intentions, will most assuredly bomb and so will you.

Be real with this. Truly give of yourself here. Make it your own and watch how happy both you and your recipients become. Good Luck!