Thursday, November 5, 2009

care package

Did your mom ever send you care packages when you were away at school? In college, any kind of mail was a huge treat, a delightful distraction from the bottle books on many a long and woeful day spent far from home. Without the constant contact that we now enjoy through e-mail and facebook, the separation from family was more intense back in the day. Plus, we had to fight off the dinosaurs and walk uphill both ways through snow to our one room schoolhouse. Mail was a lifeline, and on some very special days, the postal engineer would loop back around after delivering the paper goods which meant only one thing: a package!

Of course, you’d expect packages around your birthday, but the best ones were the care packages that arrived without explanation.

Even if it wasn’t an official care package – traditionally consisting of items intended to provide loving care – mom and dad both always sent good mail. Whenever mom had a box or an envelope prepared to send something to one of us, she would find cool little surprises to put inside. If we left something at home during our last visit, if an article in the local paper would be of interest, mom would send it along to us, but in the box we’d also find some artfully chosen memento from the house, like one of the dogs from my collection; a photo from the den; or a hat that grammy had sewn. And then there would be the staples of our family diet: cash and candy.

Just because I’m now generally able to procure my own money and candy does not mean I’ve outgrown the appeal of the care package. My birthday packages still always contain a funny little bag of candy and often some other random tidbit retrieved from far down memory lane. More often, packages from my parents now arrive addressed to my kids, who have gleefully taken over the fluttery anticipation when a package arrives at the doorstep.

We received one just last week, wanna see?

It was an inauspicious envelope, bulging just enough to tease at greatness


Inside, there was a veritable bounty of miscellany


First, there was this treasure, bringing other moments right back to mind:

The prize money was still inside!


Then there was Mom’s most recent school photo. Ain't she purdy?

And of course, there was candy!
I think my mom is the last person on the planet who still keeps non-zip baggies in the house.

Inside, we found a hilariously endearing assortment of sugar free suckers,
after dinner mints, and loose m&ms.



The last thing we pulled from the bag was the magnum opus: a gallon sized zip loc (!) bag full of .....

fall!
Autumn leaves of all colors and shapes. My Aunt Uffie used to send me a few leaves inside a birthday card each November, and once she became unable to do so, mom took over. Oh, the smell of it! Takes me right back to Bettswood Road.
The kids were thrilled, and quickly sorted the leaves in two so each would have a bag to bring to school and share with their fellow foliage-deprived California cohorts

I don't know how anyone could construct a better care package.

Thanks, mom

10 comments:

Mom C said...

Oh, I love this Jacquie... I would have done a much better job if I'd known it was going to be published! Are there cuter kids in the universe?? I love you mom

Me, You, or Ellie said...

Oh, I love this. It brings a tear to mine eye. Mom, you are such a rock star. And you can't possibly have done a better job!

I can't believe your kids left their prize money and Mom and Dad's! And I concur: in the cannonball contest your boy did have great form and your girl did do a Solomon-like job judging.

Lovely, Jacquie. Lovely, Mom.

xxEllie

Rita said...

Oh, that is so awesome! What an incredible mother you have. To answer your question--no, I never received care packages at college or anywhere else I lived. I just didn't have that kind of mom. But, after reading this, you can be sure that my kids will.

Me, You, or Ellie said...

Look at that Jacquie. And Mom. Just like that you have improved the world.

Ellie

no care packages from heaven said...

your Mom ROCKS!
My roommates and even strangers in my dorm would gather outside my room when they heard that I had a care package from my mom. Something about her homemade creme de menthe brownies could really gather a crowd. (I doubt they were hanging out just to read the Doonesbury comic or article about some local going on)
Thanks for shaking those memories loose, although the tears are flowing as I write.
You've got two really lucky kids.
And I've got a yard full of leaves in case you need more for your collection ;)

Me, You, or Ellie said...

Love it, Jacquie!

Is there anythnig better than that fluttery anticipation??

Lucky you and lucky kids, indeed!

And, btw, I, like your mom, also still keep non-zip baggies in the hosue :-)

Beth

Mom C said...

Thank you Beth - my kids all laugh at me for my non zip bags. Love to Cappy and the big girls... Mom C

Hsin-Yi said...

Just gotta say that your family is AWESOME.

Kathi D said...

You have a Super Mom!!

The Absence of Alternatives said...

Hi, I hopped over from Aunt Becky's page where you left a comment, and the comment was so hilarious I just had to check your blog out. Was not disappointed! Your mom is awesome, like you said. This is the best care package exactly because of the randomness of it. The leaves are the best part. Everything says, It is not a major holiday, or birthday. You are receiving this because I am thinking of you. I have to remember this for when I am a grandmother and do this for my children's families. I will be the best grandma, ever! (I'm already envisioning competition against their OTHER grandmothers...)