And pick him up after you kicked him around.

If you all have been keeping up with my endeavors you know that I had a surprise gift for my mom well here it is.




I got her an Apple iBook 12"

I’m a little devil. I called home yesterday morning all serious and stuff. I told my Mom I have an important package that is coming to the house from UPS. It is an important government package that I must transfer through you. It is the safest means that I can get this package. Can you do it?

She was like, “Yes, Son whatever you need me to do I can do it.”

I said, “This is very important Mom, the Nation depends on me getting this package and I’m depending on you. The future of the nation depends on you.”

“I’ll, do everything I can to help Son,” she said. She was exasperated still coming to grips that the “football” was coming to her home. It took all my strength to keep from busting out laughing.

I spent all day yesterday refreshing the tracking on UPS.com waiting for the package to be delivered and it finally was at 3:43pm EST. I called back home to see if my Mom opened it yet and she didn’t pick up the phone. I was assuming that she was on the phone with my Dad because I called him and he didn’t pick up either.

So I call back about 30 minutes later and ask her if she opened the box yet. She said no. My Dad told her to wait till he got home to open the box because they didn’t know what it was. I’m laughing my ass off because it is so funny to me that I have them totally gassed at this point. She thought she was getting ready to save the country and be a big shero, on the news doing interviews, making book deals and stuff.

Finally my Dad gets home and they open the box. I think I called about 3 minutes or so after they opened it. They still thought that it was for me in Iraq. Then I think my Dad figured it was for him and he got exited (seems like two people I know don’t read the blog enough). Then I told them to read the card and it said.

“Mom I know you say Dad is on the computer all the time and you never get to use it at home well now with your new computer you don’t have an excuse.

Love,

Tommie”

Oh you should have heard the shock in their voices to me it was pure joy.I mean they sounded like two kids on Christmas morning.Then I talked to my Dad and he just had a sound in his voice like he couldn’t believe it that this was happening to him. It was such a great moment in my life, personally.

In my home we aren’t really big on gifts. The reason being is that my folks don’t like for people to spend money on them for what they consider trinkets. It has rubbed off on my brother and I as well. To me, keep your money and get something for yourself or for your kids I don’t need anything, I have a job and anything I REALLY want you can’t afford. If you ask me what I want I will generally say nothing. Those rules don’t apply to children however we are known to spoil kids silly. I think it’s the magic of gifts that you only get from kids that make it worth it, they don't really comprehend bills and money and responsibility and things like that to them it's just fun stuff for me, I like to make kids feel that way and I was able to do it for my folks today.

My folks are the type that if I had told them that I was getting that for them they would tell me no. You can’t give them stuff you have to sneak it in. My Dad thanked me for this gift and I had never heard such pure appreciation ever before. However, that isn’t his gift that is his. It's his wife’s gift if she wants to share with him then she can. But, the whole thing was great it has had me smiling all day. Like I said that is my Mom’s gift I can wait for my Dad to get his gift. This is what life is about to me. It’s about making people’s days by doing the unexpected. Yesterday this job became worth it if only for that moment.