Next week is bracketed by my husband’s birthday on Monday and mine on Friday.
What do you give to someone for his/her birthday?
A dinner?
Yes, we’ll enjoy a special dinner–whether we make it ourselves or go out to eat.
A road map of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico?
Yes, I bought a spiral-bound road map for my hubby and hid it in the back of my car when he discovered it in July. He used his early birthday present during our drive up to Utah for a family reunion, recently.
What do both of these have in common?
TIME.
The best gift you can give someone for his/her birthday is the gift of TIME.
Helping someone SAVE time, SPEND time, or TAKE time, it’s the only gift that lasts a lifetime.
We have so little time, even with all our conveniences, that spending a little time with someone is a precious gift. As we all grow older, nothing seems more satisfying than being able to spend some time with someone.
And that’s why we often enjoy cooking at home – the ingredients are pure, the spices are moderate enough to be tasty yet not make us so thirsty, and we can enjoy a really nice bottle of wine without the restaurant markup. And something we older people start to value more – there’s less noise making it easier to hear.
Time is the greatest gift we can give.
Things are often forgotten, given away, tossed, or lost amidst clutter.
Money is often forgotten after it’s spent.
But the time we spend with someone lasts a lifetime.
Read: Time the greatest gift
And after you’ve spent time with someone, consider this:
“At the end of a visit, never say goodbye; instead ask if you can visit again.”
— Wendy Wajda, Social Worker
Golden Hill Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Greater New York City Area
As quoted in PersonCare.net
Yes, there isn’t a finer gift than the gift of time. As we get older and our families and friends are no longer with us, the time can get very long, so a visit can be the highlight of the day. The next best thing is a letter received in the mail. I still have 4 friends who aren’t tech-wise, so we use snare mail to continue our friendship. Even though not a personal visit, it helps us keep connected, and also brightens my day.
LaVern, that reminds me. I still need to call you! SIGH…the days pass so quickly and are so full it’s embarrassing to think I can’t even pick up the phone to say, “HELLO.” But we know it won’t be just a “hello.” It may be a 45-minute catch-up call on all the years that have passed and all the adventures we’ve lived.
This sounds like something Marie would do for me! She would give me maps but then she would be the navigator. Time is important. We are unable to attend any family outings anymore but what Wendy says is true. Marie taught me 50 years ago, never sauy goodbye, say see ya later or We will be back in a few.
Funny you mention that, Don. I recall being the same way until motion sickness took hold. Now, David does the navigating and I drive until I feel sleepy. 😉 Of course, with navigation systems on our smart phones and cars…well, that changes the game all together! But David still likes those paper maps. Heck he even got one of AAA’s last Trip Tiks!