Gifts From the Heart

It's funny what things end up grabbing hold of your heart unexpectantly. For me, when I receive a "just because gift", you know the kind that come from the heart, I'm always deeply touched. I was having a really BAD day Tuesday. And we all get them from time to time and they just drain you. I walked in my front door and found this framed picture waiting for me. I took the picture above with my iphone, so it really doesn't do the picture justice! Bryce had brought it home from Country Roads for me. It is a picture of my mom that Lori Gutierrez "doctored" up just a bit as you can see. She added color, make-up, a crown, some shiny rhinstones and the Miss Texas banner all for me! Awhile back Lori had seen the picture on my blog and commented to me how pretty she thought my mom was. And what do you know, she embellished the picture, framed it, and sent it home with Bryce for me. When I walked in the front door after my crappy day, tears streamed down my face. The kindness, the thoughtfulness, was overwhelming to me in a good way. Just goes to show you, no matter how bad you think your day is, there is ALWAYS something good to be found! And my find was beyond good, thank you Lori with all my heart! Yesterday Riley and I dropped Brande off at the Long Beach airport. Brande is going to be gone about seven weeks. She's working on the Lilith Tour and I can't remember which fund raising group she is with this time. After Riley and I dropped Brande off, all of a sudden Riley got very sad. She was near tears as she said from the backseat, "I don't want Brande to go, I'm going to miss her. I love her with all my heart and I want her to stay here". It is really touching to see a little kid that is not yet four have such compassion. I told her she could draw Brande a picture and we could send it to her. So, she snapped out of her mood and came home and drew Brande the picture above. I always save stuff. Little stuff that may not mean a lot to someone else, but reminds me of a magical moment. My house is filled with these things. Above is a birthday wish Brande wrote to me when she was about six years old. It's framed and hangs behind my desk in my office. I still have a Starbucks straw that Riley held onto the first time her Daddy took her in my pool. It was like a security blanket for her. I also have her "pretend money" that she took with her on her first walk to Starbucks with Brande. Gifts from the heart mean so very much to me. These are the things that I will never part with. And Lori, "thank you" for making what was really a crappy day turn into something very meaningful for me!