When I first moved west, I was taken by the beautiful rocks all over the place. As a unique gift to my parents back in Pennsylvania, I found a smooth stone with streaks of gold and blue and green. I wrapped it up in a white, silk cloth, put it in a gold box and sent it off.
Every time I visited my folks, I’d smile when finding my rock on my mom’s favorite glass table, right next to the Hummel figurines she loved so much.
In 1999, when both my mom and dad passed, Sherry and I went through the “treasures” they left behind. I spotted the gold box in which I had shipped out the beautiful rock. Taped on top of the box, in my mother’s distinguished handwriting, was a note: “Stick this rock on the table when Don visits.”
Some people may consider this an example of trickery. I consider it an act of tenderness from a mother who loved her youngest boy.