Surprise!
Have you ever tried to surprise someone and it didn’t quite turn out the way you thought it would?
My late husband and I loved to take vacations together. He often did things like blindfold me on the way out the driveway without my knowing where we were going. He said I’d just have to trust him and it most always seemed to be surprise. Once he took me on a nine hour drive to where we had been on our honeymoon…right down to the same room we had been in. That was truly a surprise.
We once took a trip to Nashville, Tennessee. I decided to surprise him by wearing a new “country” dress I’d carefully picked out for myself while I was shopping. I knew he’d enjoy it and I was going to surprise him by having it on to go out that evening on the town. He was always complimentary of me when I wore something new and I thought he’d really like this one because it fit into the “country” atmosphere we were getting ready to go to.
Unbeknownst to me, he had decided to shave his beard and mustache off while we were there. I knew he was taking longer in the bathroom than usual. I figured he was just taking his time and it really gave me more time to get the dress on, add the carefully chosen accessories, and be ready when he came out into the hotel room.
I don’t know who was surprised more…me that he was clean shaven after nine years of having that rustic look or him that I was wearing a country girl dress…not my usual conservative attire.
The real surprise however, was when we got back home to South Carolina. We arrived late that evening and our four year old son, Pierce Embree, was asleep. As was his usual practice in the morning, he would come in with his thumb in his mouth and his “blankie” gripped firmly in his hand, go around to his Dad’s side of the bed, wake him up, say a word or two, and then come over to my side of the bed and wake me up.
The morning after we returned Pierce Embree came in, went over to his Dad’s side of the bed, saw someone in the bed he did not recognize and ran around the bed to me asking quietly, “Mom, who is that man in the bed? Where is my Daddy?”
Yes, surprises can sometime not turn out quite the way you mean for them to.
Yesterday my mother and I decided to “surprise” my sister, Vicki. It is her birthday today and we usually have to celebrate a day before or after.
Vicki had surgery on her arm and elbow last Tuesday. She is in pain right now and is having a hard time getting around. Even though she lives almost two hours away, we thought it would be nice to surprise her and deliver her birthday presents in person for a little cheering up.
After all, when you have a sister like mine it’s worth the trip. There isn’t a sister any finer.
She was truly surprised when we showed up at the door and we had a great visit.
My wish for you today is that you look for simple ways to “surprise” special people in your life. It can be simple but fun and can add some spice to life when you least expect it.
~ Joellen