Tomorrow is my mother’s sixtieth birthday, and I was thinking that a significant birthday like this deserves more than a birthday dinner (what we usually do).  The problem with wanting so much to do something special is then when you can’t think of something, you feel guilty and end up doing nothing!

I decided not to make a big deal out of this in my mind, knowing that my mother is a person who appreciates everything and won’t be expecting anything.  She already was touched when dd13 called to ask if she would come for Shabbos (and it’s not like this is a rare invitation).  Like me, my mother isn’t so into ‘stuff’, and I can’t think of anything she really wants or needs that will be meaningful.  I know she’ll love homemade cards from the kids and I’m going to encourage them to make a poem or write something heartfelt on their cards.  And we have some special dishes and her favorite dessert planned for Shabbos. 🙂   I’m planning to give her a homemade ‘coupon’ to take her out to dinner (just the two of us) when it’s convenient for her.  She loves spending time with the kids but often says how much she appreciates when it’s quiet enough to have time to talk to me without interruptions, so I know this is something that will mean a lot for her.

Something else we’re doing is making her homemade dinners that are portioned in one person containers that she can put in her freezer and take out at her convenience. Like many others who don’t have anyone else to cook for still at home, she doesn’t take the time to make herself the kind of meals she really appreciates; it seems like too much effort for one person.  So we’re making her pasta and meatballs with green beans, egg rolls, quinoa with stir fried veggies, and maybe a couple of other dishes – I’m thinking about roasted chicken with potatoes and steamed vegetables.  I don’t want to make more than she’ll have room for in her freezer, so I’m trying to be moderate!

This is something I hope she’ll appreciate, not just when we give it to her, but every time she comes home at the end of a long day and can pull something delicious and nutritious out of her freezer and enjoy home cooked meal.  A gift like this for my mother is not just a gift of food, but a gift of time, love, and health.  Time, because it gives her more time in her life to relax or do other things; love, because she’ll feel nurtured and cared about not only when we give it to her but every time she takes one out of the freezer; health, because it’s so much better than the typical frozen food a person can pick up in the store (even the health food store).

Making these really just means buying the ingredients, a few appropriate containers, and taking the time to do it.  I think there are people in a variety of life situations who would appreciate a gift like this, don’t you?

Avivah