Day One Hundred and Eighty

The Irish Care Package

Fact: my mom's THE Mom. Ain't no question about that! Today, I was met with one of her Holiday care packages, and even though I had to vacuum a second time over, nothing could overcome my smile. Here's a little bit about me: like Adam said last night, my love language is receiving gifts (Learn more about Gary Champan's 5 Love Languages here. It's helped us in our marriage immensely). When I receive a gift, I am overwhelmed by the intentionality behind it - that someone was thinking of me, that they remembered me, care for me, and ultimately, that they love me. It's never about the actual gift itself, rather, the thought and effort behind it. So, as you can imagine, when I received this package from my mom in the mail today, my "love tank" was overflowing. St. Patrick's day is just around the corner, and Mom knew that we didn't have anything to decorate with. So, she took it upon herself to make sure that her two Conley kids weren't without a little Irish pride! We opened the box, and immediately had a small leprachaun-confetti disaster on our hands! She likes to "decorate" the decorations. And so, my newly vacuumed carpet was now shaded a shiny tint of leprechaun green! That's so Mom. Under all that confetti, an arsenal of shamrocks were awaiting their unveiling. And as I displaced the wrapping paper, my smile went from BIG to BIGGER. On each item, a sticky note was attached with a sweet, hand-written note, in her perfect penmanship that only she can master. I love her handwriting. I love her notes. On a package of Orbit gum she wrote, "Must have fresh breath when you have to kiss everyone in the bar!" Apparently the saying "Kiss me I'm Irish" is a free pass? I don't think Adam will like that, Mom...hahaha :) 

Her thoughtful gesture gave me a little piece of home today, which was probably the best present of all. It brought me back to the days where surprises were the way of the Mays family. She always came back from the store with something "extra" for each of us; something to show us that she'd been thinking of us when we weren't around. Her unique surprises are something I've since picked up, and now, I find myself roaming the grocery store for a little something extra to surprise Adam with too! She's one of the most generous and intentional women I know, and it's been such a blessing learning from her. I love you, Mama! Thank you for your Irish Love :)
Oh, and if you look real close, I'm holding a picture of her and Dan on my phone! They were with me the whole time I opened it!