My favorite piece of jewelry adorns my right ring finger, and probably is worth no more than 50 cents. It turns my finger green on occasion and can pinch from time to time thanks to the adjustable sizing on its back side, but I still wear it every single day. And I’ll tell you why.
Just a few weeks shy of Christmas, I was feeling like a lot of moms, I’m sure. A long list of Christmas presents still to buy and a dwindling bank account have a way of getting the best of you. Around every corner, another commitment would pop up that made that already-long shopping list even longer. I had just about had my fill when I saw that my son’s school was having a Holiday Fair, and us parents should pre-load a card for our children so they could shop when it opened the following week.
“Are you kidding me?” I thought in my mind. “Now, I need to spend another $20 for Reece to shop BEFORE Christmas. But he’s going to get plenty DURING Christmas.” I was 100% not going to do this … that was until I voiced my concerns to some parents (who also happen to be good friends of mine) about the Holiday Fair.
Jamee piped in: “I loved that kind of stuff when I was kid. I loved getting the cool erasers and picking out stuff. I’m definitely giving Rex some money for it.”
“Alright, I’ll bite,” I said, begrudging. Plus, I didn’t want Reece feeling left out when all his friends were picking out items while he just sat sadly against the wall waiting for them to finish. I preloaded the card with $20, took a deep breath and continued ahead.
A week later, Reece jumped in the car with an elevated level of excitement. He had been to the Holiday Fair and he just couldn’t wait to show me what he’d picked out. As I prepared for a sea of fancy erasers, I was flooded with a completely different kind of surprise. Reece had used his $20 to buy Christmas presents for me and his dad, and he was so excited that he couldn’t wait until Christmas to show me.
From the backseat, he showed me what he picked out for his dad: A “Best Dad” award certificate and a hero magnet. And then pulled out a delicate silver, heart-shaped necklace that read “I love you, Mom” and a shiny, bejeweled flower ring.
“Do you like it?” he asked, eagerly awaiting my response. As I peered through the rearview mirror, I said “I love it,” with tears in my eyes. It had never even occurred to me that Reece would use that money to get gifts for us instead of using it all on himself.
Now, he did have a few extra trinkets for himself in the mix. He is a 10-year-old boy after all, but his kindness filled my heart all the way up.
That ring hasn’t left my finger since. And when we were in the car looking at Christmas lights a week later, we held hands and his fingers searched mine. When he felt the ring, he beamed as he looked up at me with great big eyes, that if they could speak would’ve said, “Mom, you’re wearing MY ring!?”
Instead, he said “Mommy, I love you.” And I said “I love you, too, my Reecey.”
And so, I’ll now be the mom wearing a ring that might be worth 50 cents to most people, but it’s priceless to me.
Until we meet again, just remember one thing. Girl, do your shit.
Girl, Do Your Shit 