Nothing is sweeter than when someone takes the time to give you the perfect gift.  A kind and thoughtful gift makes you feel joyful.  Joyful is how I felt this past Christmas Eve.  Who was the giver of this most special gift?  My husband of 27 years?  NO.  My three lovely children whose heads were in the 100% percentile when I gave birth to them?  NO.  This gift came from a new member of my family – Katy.

This incredible gift is pictured above.  Katy somehow found an old photo of my boys in the tub and had it made into a canvas portrait.  I LOVE IT!  I am going to hang it in my bathroom where I will see it everyday.  I will get to feel the happiness I felt the day the photo was taken whenever I take my own bath!  Just precious.

And who is this Katy?  Katy is AJ’s girlfriend.  I must admit, when my oldest son called a girl his own, I felt happy and melancholy at the same time.  Now I only feel happy.  First, having a lovely female in the house brings some class to my brawny bunch!  Second, Katy is a force of her own.  She has two brothers.  She can handle herself.  I admire Katy’s strength and grace in the face of the sometimes inappropriateness of three brothers banned together.

Katy is also smart.  She knows the best gift is one full of thought and sentimentality.  Damn.  Katy’s gift nailed it!  She gave me a pearl before she even knew I was collecting them!  HA!  Good luck topping this one!

Photos from the past that are framed, made into a canvas print, or a book, make a wonderful, thoughtful gift.  A pearl that keeps on giving joy!