Breakfast Sandwich To-Go
My friend Payton just finished celebrating her annual “Mama Days.” She has three children. Every year she takes three days off from work and dedicates an entire day to each of her kids. From the moment they wake up in the morning until the day is done, each of the kids gets to choose what he or she wants to do, all day, just with Mom (similar to Jennifer Garner’s movie, Yes Day).
Payton commemorates the days’ events by posting the most heartfelt pictures and stories on social media about their adventures—from the zoo to pedicures to virtual-reality gaming adventures. Each child, unique in his or her own way, chooses completely different activities from their siblings. You can imagine this takes tremendous dedication and commitment on Mom’s part to follow through with this tradition every year. She wouldn’t miss it and claims the kids look as forward to their Mama Days as they do Christmas morning.
My friend Jack has an eighty-nine-year-old mother. Although his life is busy running his company and spending time with his young grandkids, he dedicates every Sunday morning to his mother. Since she no longer drives, he picks her up at 8:30 a.m. and takes her across town to church for 9:00 a.m. mass. They sit in the same pew every week. He helps his mom through all the rituals, walks with her to the front of the church to receive communion, and safely gets her back to the car. Then they go to McDonald's for her favorite breakfast: a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit, hash browns, and a small coffee. She loves going to the drive-thru and having a “car picnic” in the parking lot with her breakfast sandwich to-go. She looks forward to one-on-one time with her son and calls him an angel for consistently doing this with her.
Aunt Alice lives in Florida. Most of her family lives in Connecticut, including Emily, her youngest niece. Emily is working on her master’s degree in education, teaching part-time in a local elementary school, and has a busy life. She makes time, however, to call Aunt Alice once a week on her commute to work. Each Monday at 7:10 a.m., Emily shares lesson plans and ideas she has for the students, and Aunt Alice always offers ideas and opinions. For Emily, it’s an easy ten-minute call to her favorite auntie.
And Aunt Alice will tell you it is most certainly the highlight of her week.
What kinds of traditions do you keep in place for other people? Do you carve out time each month for your great-grandfather in the nursing home or bring your elderly uncle to the cemetery so he can “visit” with his wife, who died years ago?
What small effort do you continue to make on a regular basis that makes a big difference for someone else?
I started a tradition in high school for my favorite teacher, Sister Catherine. She was a big fan of the seasonal ice cream Jubilee Roll from Friendly’s. This holiday treat only came out during the Christmas season. I used to bring one to her every year when school got out for Christmas break. And for years after graduation, when I was home from college, I’d take a ride to Friendly’s and drop off a Jubilee Roll at the convent where Sr. Catherine lived. It was a small errand for me, but it was so special for her and her friends.
Although a retired hairdresser, my mom continues to make house calls to a small group of elderly clients who are homebound. Mom calls it “no big deal,” but to the clients who are looking spiffy after Mom’s visit, it’s a very big deal. I’d call it a confetti moment.
What could you do that would be a small effort for you yet make a big impact on someone else?
Isn’t this what life is all about—making the extra effort to share joy, happiness, and kindness?
