My Grandfathers Pot

Monday, December 28th.. Day 1 of my giving project. "The Gift of Gratitude"
I decided today that for my first gift I would finally give something that means a lot to me to someone that really deserves it. Carol worked as a pharmacy tech at my local pharmacy. She was always greeting customers with her big smile and kind heart.. Not to mention her dirty jokes as well!! LOL I can remember always wanting to do everything I could to help my Grandfather. He was sick with lung cancer and his needs were more than we could all sometimes handle. He was a very proud man, but as the disease took it's toll, we needed to add more people into the mix to help. I ended up discussing things with Carol that day and she said she was looking for an older person to help take care of... Perfect, I thought. I went home and discussed it with my Mom and it ended up to be a perfect fit. Carol would spend a couple of hours with Pop a couple of times a week. She would cook and do some light cleaning. Well, it was almost like Carol was an angel sent from heaven. She was amazing with Pop. They spent time discussing the Yankees, both avid fans, and laughing about Carol's flirty ways. I can remember feeling so relieved to know that Carol was there when we couldn't be. As Pop's health deteriorated, Carol stepped up to the plate, adding trips to and from radiation, staying extra hours, even coming to the hospital and rehab center for
visits. Carol added joy to our lives until the day he passed away. She had asked me at the wake if I could give her
one of his cooking pots. It would be a reminder of him as she would always make him soup. I said of course, but as
time went by, I never go around to it. So here I am, three and half years after Pop died and I still never gave her
a pot. Was lack of time the reason? Maybe I didn't want to give away anything of his. I don't know, whatever the
reason, she never received it. Today I am starting 29 gifts for 29 days. Carol is the perfect person to receive my
first gift. Afterall, I owe her more than I could ever give her for all that she did. When I got up this morning, I went into the basement into a dusty box and got out one of Pop's pots. I washed it till it shined, put a pretty Christmas napkin in the bottom and filled it with Christmas cookies I baked. I tied a red ribbon around the pot and attached a pretty card where I again thanked her for all that she did and apologized for making her wait so long. I was excited on my way to her house. I was excited to finally give her something that I know would mean so much. I got to her house and found no one home.. So I placed the pot on her stoop with the card and left. Although I would have liked to see her, I felt good knowing that she would come home to find a surprise on her stoop!! A few hours later, I received a call from Carol thanking me.. She said the pot was better than any Christmas gift she could have got. We laughed and cried about some of the memories of my Grandfather. She then told me about her son. Her son has the same name as my Grandfather, Eugene, which we always found ironic. She asks me how old I am and I say 31. Her son is almost 29, and a light bulb goes off in both of our heads. We laugh at how funny it would be if her son and I ended up together. You never know, I say. We discussed what type of guys I like. I quickly answer that I love guys that fish and hunt, a real manly man. LOL I can hear her excitement when she says Oh My God! Those are the two things her son enjoy most and the cause of most of the fights between him and his girlfriend, who are having troubles in their relationship. Hmmmm... Another irony... I tell her to keep me in mind if his relationship ends, I would be happy to go on a blind date with him someday. She then tells me about some gym equipment she has acquired and asks if I would be interested in working out with her. I agree immediately as a gym is exactly what this body needs. So already, on day 1, I can't help but wonder how all these positive things came from one gift. I didn't even tell Carol yet about my 29 days of giving. I will one day. It was funny when she said: Look at all the things this one pot did today!! LOL What a great start! I have felt so good all day. I woke up looking forward to giving today and I am going to bed excited for tomorrow's gift.