The Gift of Time

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

Today is my 35th birthday and it's funny, I kept forgetting that it was right around the corner and I had to laugh this morning as my husband is up very early (he doesn't like early mornings), but his gift to me this year is to run all the errands such as getting the kids to school in the morning, picking them up after school and taking them to all their extra-curricular activities like dance, cheer/tumble and gymnastics. His goal was to give me time.

What a precious gift that is! For all the things in the world out there that can be bought or made, giving someone the gift of free time is truly wonderful. While it may only be an hour here or an hour there, most of us who are Moms and Dads who do that running around day in and day out can really appreciate this type of gift.

Birthday Presents

When we're growing up, birthdays are looked forward to with great anticipation. We can't wait for them. We can't wait for the morning to come or the parties or the brightly wrapped packages to be placed in front of us so we can shred the paper off of them. We can't wait for the loot and the singing and the cake. But as we get older, despite enjoying watching others do the same thing - sometimes, we're just not that interested in the same effect for ourselves.

Yesterday, my daughter was very concerned that we weren't going to have a birthday party with balloons and gift bags and lots of presents for Mommy. She wanted Mommy to have the same kind of party that she enjoyed. She wanted to give me what we so often gave her. It was hard for her to understand that spending time with friends, family and just enjoying their company over a meal was a great present. It was even harder for her to understand that free time was a great gift.

After all, what do kids have if not a lot of time?

Still, I'm tickled pink by my gift of time - now the question is - what do I do with it? What's a favorite birthday present you've received?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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