Day 2 Gift: This past Saturday, I was searching through some old files looking for something important. An old drawing a friend made for me when I was about 12 years old. Today, this friend lies in the hospital and her birthday is next month. I am doing something special with this drawing (a gift for another day perhaps). But as I was searching my old papers, I came across a bag full of Bar and Bat Mitzvah invitations from my day as a 12 year old girl. I knew I had them and in fact just peeked at them a couple of months ago. I took a picture of the invitation from a girl named Jessica who I have recently crossed paths with again as I am staring to plan my own daughter's Bat mitzvah. She works for a company that provides music entertainment for events - with Bar/Bat Mitzvahs being their kosher bread and butter. I texted the picture to Jessica. Her reaction: "NO WAY!!! That's unbelievable!!!" I proceeded to snap photos of her Save the Date card and Kids Party invite and shared them with her. It turns out she has the main invitation but not the other two pieces. Sunday morning (yesterday), I woke up and texted her saying the two pieces are my gift to her....and told her about 29gifts.org. Later in the afternoon, I dropped the precious pink pieces of paper off at her house. She was thrilled - and my giving inspired her to frame all 3 pieces of her invitation and display it on her office wall! The perfect "art" for someone in her biz! I wonder what other random items I have stashed away that could make someone's day?
Today I gave my first gift. My husband and I have 3 kids (10, 8, and 5) and we are always giving kid stuff away to clear the clutter, but today I specifically wanted to give my daughter's Journey Girl doll (that she hasn't played with in many years) to a little girl I just met yesterday. The little girl is the 7-year-old daughter of my nanny's friend. Yesterday, when I came home from work, she was at my house with her mom, as her mom was asking my nanny for advice on some paperwork she needed to complete for her upcoming maternity leave. She was shy at first but it didn't take long for her to feel comfortable and within minutes, she was playing soccer in the basement with my 5-year-old son. They hit it off right away...so silly, goofy, and cute together! I love that about kids - they can click and have the best time within minutes of meeting another kid! So today, I found the Journey Girl (and her clothes and accessories which thanks to my nanny were neatly packed in a Ziploc bag on a shelf in the basement) and asked my nanny to invite her friend and daughter to come over again - they live just a few minutes' walk away and were available...perfect! I added a puzzle, a book, and some crafts to the bag. The little girl was so appreciative. She stayed to play again with my two sons (my daughter was at a play date) and when she left, she gave me a sweet hug and said thanks. I'm so happy this sweet little girl will enjoy this adorable doll, instead of the doll sitting on a shelf in my house! Looking forward to Day 2!
