A Mother's Generous Heart

The corners of her mouth turned up, lips pressed tightly together, and a soft smile spread across the waitresses face as she cleared the dishes from the table. It was a private smile, not meant to be shared. It was a smile of amusement, and appreciation.

What made her smile? Neatly laid out on top of her three dollar tip; a simple gift. The retired couple, seventy-something's, who ate breakfast at the diner nearly every week, always left behind something extra with the tip; something small and handmade. After September 11^th it had been an American Flag made of beads. During the Christmas holiday, a pair of beaded Christmas earrings. For Halloween, a beaded necklace with a furry spider hanging from it, and the spider would light up. Red, white and blue beaded necklaces for the 4th of July. It was always something appropriate for the season.

They were simple, handmade gifts left behind with the tip, but they always made her smile. Sometimes, there were several left on the table, one for each waitress working the breakfast shift. Simple pleasures are life's treasures, especially when they are gifts from the heart. The waitress slipped her new beaded bracelet around her wrist, then moved on to greet her next customers with a bit more bounce in her step.

That crazy bead lady is my mother. She always leaves behind a tiny bit more than you expected. Whether you're the waitress at the diner, or you were her colleague during her career days, or you're lucky enough to be her child or grandchild, she always includes an extra piece of her heart. She's generous with her heart.

We need more people in this world like my mom. Generosity seems to be running low these days. Maybe it's because of the economy, or the political environment, or because we're concerned about taxes and debt, but generosity doesn't have to be a financial concept. My mom has been trying to teach me about generosity for years, and I'm finally getting it, I think. It's not enough to be generous with things, we need to be more generous with our heart. If we're more generous with our heart, we just might spread more smiles across the faces of our friends and family. Hey, it's worth a try.