What shall I give to my daughter on her birthday? We’re a generation apart. I stopped buying clothes for her when she started middle school. In fact, I had gotten by without giving gifts to my children for holidays and birthdays until they were old enough to figure it out. I explained, “A gift cannot be a mere symbol. It has to come from the heart. Gift giving should be a pleasurable thing to do. We give when the gift makes you think of the other person, not when there is an expectation.”
But this birthday is different . She has moved to Oregon. I cannot hug and kiss her. Sending her a gift is much more meaningful to me now. It has to represent love.
And what materialistic things contain such power? Homemade goodies? Money? A poem? There is not one thing that can convey the wonder of her birth and the joy of seeing her growing every year. Perhaps the greatest gift is to call her up and say ” I love you”, and it is to be given always.
