I found a quilt square that my Nana (Mom’s Mom) had pieced together a long time ago. This is the design but in red, white, and blue. I don't know the circumstances of, or plan for the project…..I wish I did. My mom gave it to me back in the day and even though I had a vague plan for doing something with it, it got lost in the many, many moves made over the years. When it turned up this fall while I was cleaning out a closet in the basement, I thought “Oh! This would be the perfect thing for Mom’s Christmas gift!” The quilt square is old and fragile so I decided to frame it. That way it could be displayed but not damaged, unlike a pillow, which was my first choice. Unfortunately, the square is an odd size and it took me FOREVER to find a frame that would work, for a price I was willing to pay. But I did.
After lots of thinking and trial and error (translation, a LOT of time), it was done, it was perfect, and it was nicely wrapped. Now all I needed was a shipping box that it would fit into.
Of course I didn’t have anything like that at home so I spent a decent chunk of time running in and out of stores looking for a box. I found all the other stuff I needed, like packing tape and bubble wrap, but no box. I started to feel just a wee concerned, then thankfully a light bulb came on. I’m brilliant! I thought and I hurried over to a hobby store to the framing department. They’ll have a suitable box for Mom’s gift! I mean, they get frames shipped to them to sell surely they’d have a couple of those shipping boxes just lying around!
But no, they didn’t.
At about this point the blood pressure is on the rise because the deadline for shipping to arrive by Christmas is TODAY and I have to get this done NOW before I go see clients, because after that I get the mini-muffins from school and then there’s no getting anything done!! Aaaagggghhhh!!!
OK. Deep breath.
The lady at the framing desk suggested I go to UPS. Not only would they have a box to fit, they would wrap it up all safe and sound. I wouldn’t have to do a thing!
Spirits revived, I trot over to the UPS store and hand over the precious finished product to the perky ladies with Santa hats on. My shoulders start to relax down to their anatomically correct position while I fill out the shipping form. It’s all going to be ok.
Then the nice lady with the Santa hat on says to me “To get it there by Christmas, you’ll want to send this overnight, and with the size of this package, it will be $169.50.
“$169.50?!?! Are you serious? I could buy my Mom a cashmere sweater for that! What are my other options?”
Many choices were offered me but I kept refusing until the wrapping and shipping were under $50. I was told the package would probably be delivered on Christmas Eve, but there’s no guarantee, not with the storms and all, you just never know, this seems like a really important gift you want to get to your Mother for Christmas, are you SURE you want to send it this way? Ok, then please sign here indicating that you understand there’s no guarantee that it will be delivered before Christmas.
Ok then. It’s done.
wow.
Very disheartened, I called ONO and told him how my grand money-saving plan had been COMPLETELY thwarted, with a bucket-load of stress thrown in to boot. In his concise, matter-of-fact way he said “It’s a nice thing you did. Not many people make personalized gifts like that any more. I’m sure they’ll really appreciate it.”
Of course. It’s not about the money. Not how much you spend OR how much you save. How wonderful the Universe is to gently whap my head with a 2X4 of irony. I am sincerely grateful. Really!!
And Mom, even though you will anyway, I don't want you to have a moment of bad feelings. You were/are completely worth it.
1 comment:
Moms are so worth EVERY penny! What a wonderful gift!
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