The Best Gift

I was anxious to get some Christmas shopping done today. I headed to town  and was busy checking things off my list when I remembered that I had promised Austin on Saturday that I would come to his school and have lunch with him on Tuesday. He didn't mention it this morning before he left for school and I had forgotten about it as well. While standing in line to check out at one of the department stores I remembered it. I would have just enough time to make it to his school when his class goes to lunch. I stood there debating with myself about what to do. I figured that he had forgotten it, since he hadn't mentioned it this morning. I could stay in town and get some more shopping done or I could honor my promise to him and go have lunch with him. The evil Mommy in me reasoned that he'd forgotten about it, so I'd probably be off the hook if I didn't go. But the nice Mommy in me didn't want to let him down in case he'd remembered. I really wanted to stay and do more shopping. I got in my car to leave, still not sure which direction I was going to head in. Last minute decision coming out of the parking lot was to go to school.

I walked to the cafeteria and realized that his class was already in cafeteria line. I went to the  table designated for his class (I've eaten with him before) and waited for him to come  out. The look on that child's face when he saw me was worth more than all the money in the world. Right there, in front of all of his friends, he yelled, "Mommy! You came!",  and I got a big bear hug right in front of everyone. 

He told me as he ate that he had forgotten that I was supposed to come today. I could have stayed and shopped and he wouldn't have held it against me. But ya know what? If I'd done that, I would be the one that had been let down most of all. I would have felt guilty the rest of the day. But more importantly, I would not have had the gift of  the look on his face when he realized that Mommy remembered even if he had forgotten.

I just tucked him in a few minutes ago and do you know what he said to me? He said, "Mommy, thank you for coming to have lunch with me today, lunch is more fun when you're there."

I got my Christmas gift early this year. I don't need another thing.