By Vicki Scott
It is that part of year again that seems to last a long time if you are blessed. It seems as if everyone is getting married or having a baby. It definitely brings another meaning to April Showers.
To the left of me on my end table lies a stack of invitations to weddings, wedding showers and baby showers, and graduations are just around the corner. I did not realize that I had so many friends. I have this stack placed where it is so that I will not forget to go to those events.
Thank goodness the invitations all have a note indicating that they are registered on Amazon, a site that I love. I’m still learning the process, but I ordered all their gifts. Things certainly have changed, some for the better, some for the worse.
On the first two invitations, I sent the gifts to their residence, figuring that it would be fewer things that had to be loaded up after the event. The problem was that unless I personally put the gift in the recipient’s hand, I do not know if they received my gift. Amazon took a picture of where the first gift I sent was placed, but I had never been to that address. It turned out that I never received a thank-you card. Surely my obsessive-compulsive disorder was unknown to the recipient, but I needed to know if my gift was received so I called to make sure.
The second gift, whose mother knew about my OCD, told me she would let me know when and if her daughter received my gift. Her daughter told her that she had received it, but my friend forgot to tell me. I called my friend, who apologized and said that the thank-you cards had not yet been sent out. Her daughter is not married as of yet, so I did not expect the cards to be sent out. I just wanted to know if my gift had been received. I received my thank-you card two days after the phone call. I felt bad, but I think they still love me!
The third time was the charm. I ordered that gift from Amazon to my house and went to the event carrying my gift. I put it next to her chair where the recipient would open it during her first round. Unfortunately, my gift kept getting pushed back until it was one of the last ones opened. The recipient opened several fancy presents, including some with monograms, some that were homemade and many that made my gift look shameful. The recipient was appreciative, however, and it was understood by her response why she opened gifts for at least an hour! Some people had to leave before she finished, but I saw her open mine, which provided closure.
With said closure met, I decided to have the next gift I purchased on Amazon sent to my house as well. I do not think I will be able to make it to that wedding, but maybe the shower. Two of the weddings are out of state and therefore too rich for my blood. If I was the bride, I would rather spend the wedding costs on a honeymoon or a down payment on a house, but I am not the bride, so whatever. Their gift is sitting on our coffee table in order to remind me to go to the shower.
It would be nice if all these April showers did bring May flowers so that I could enjoy them for Mother’s Day and a few birthdays.
At one of the bridal showers, the bride-to-be asked me for advice. I told her to keep God in the center and she would never go wrong. I pray for all these young people and their futures. It has been such a blessing to watch them grow up, marry and become parents. Thanks, y’all, for including me in your lives!
Vicki Scott may be contacted at lily200383@yahoo.com.
