Another Package

I have no idea how I raised my sons to be so thoughtful and caring when choosing gifts or planning surprises, but I could be rich if I could teach it or write a book about how I did it. Here's the latest package that arrived from Taiwan - for my birthday. Will you look at the goodies that have traveled literally halfway around the world just for me?

Not one, but two Cotton Friend books and two of his highly recommended teas. (We share a passion for tea.) The two of us looked all over Taiwan for Cotton Friend when I was there a year ago in October and finally found a copy at Carrefour. I'm touched that he sent me more because they are fabulous for gleaning ideas from. The cup in the upper left is the one he made at a pottery shop in Ying-Ge with the lovely Megan. See the book tucked under the envelope? You can bet it will be devoured quite quickly, probably in the next week or so. The card was written with a very personal and touching note to me so I'm not showing the inside, but he chose the card because he said it looked "like a birthday ensemble." It certainly does look like a party. One thing I can tell you about the card is there is a drawing on the inside that he did of himself and I sitting at a table drinking tea together. There's a steaming teapot, teacups and a package of cookies (assuming they are my favorite Taiwan biscuits) with two cookies broken in half sitting on the table and we're drinking tea on either side. So sweet - a mom and son moment. As moms, I don't think we ever tire of their drawings. I also like how he wrote Happy Birthday to me in Chinese and gave me the interpretation underneath. Really, it's just so cool - like making me a part of his adventures.

They say you can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats his mother. If that's the case then some day he's going to make a woman very happy. I love you Taiwan Son and thank you for the birthday package.