The Mundane and the Thought-provoking

So yesterday's "guilty pleasures" were just that and today is not...........but mundane brings its own gifts and questions.

Gifts

Today is an early taste of summer -- 80º, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the azaleas by our back porch are almost in full bloom. The usual Friday walk around the lake in Glenview was windy, warm and full of summer promise. I stopped at the nursery and bought my pansies to plant in the front flower box---and, oh, how I love pansies! A gift of living in this lousy climate is the surprise of a day like today.

Today is the tag day for Misericordia, a huge care center for mentally and physically challenged adults and children in Chicago. Our good friend Rita's son, now 23, has lived there since infancy and has thrived, advancing far beyond early expectations. When I put my money in the collection box today I, obviously, thought of Jay, but also pondered the incredible gift that this institution offers to thousands of families like Jay's. The volunteer holding the can today likely is a parent or a friend of a parent fulfilling some of the 100's of hours families must provide each year in fund-raising. Misericordia, like most service agencies, is often on the brink of disaster, but with volunteer fund-raising and lots of state money, they continue to serve. I'm not always comfortable with the various people holding donation cans for other causes, but it's a privilege to give when one knows the incredible good work being done by the organization that is a gift to so many families.

Besides, the volunteer gave me TWO bags of jelly-bellies!

Gifts and Questions

The gift is that my mother and her roommate are once again treating each other cordially after a tiff earlier in the week. The annoyance is that her phone is acting up. The question regards clothing (still!). Even though the lost clothing episode has still not been resolved, I bought Mom some clothes when I had coupons and Kohls had a huge sale. Mom tried things on and two shirts were big. Her roommate asked if she could try them on, found they fit, and asked if she could pay me for them "when her friend brought her the money." That was two weeks ago and I haven't been paid.

Although I couldn't care less if she pays me the $20, Mom keeps asking me if Valerie has paid for the shirts. In my head, Valerie has a miserable life and if two shirts bring her some pleasure, great! The question, however, is if I am I doing Valerie a favor or a disservice by not holding her accountable?

The second gift and question refer to the grocery store. The Jewel today had incredibly reduced prices on many items AND I had a 10% coupon off the entire purchase. Quite a gift, but is the grocery store hurting so much in these economic times that they have to offer such extreme deals? I suspect so, but hope that the big bosses just had a burst of spring fever!

So, enough with thinking. Time to each lunch and get at those pansies!