I'm kinda having a down in the dumps kind of day so I thought I would post about a great memory that will make me cry happy tears, not the kind that has been gracing my cheeks thus far today. So to explain the gift I must first give you history of a very special gift my Mother gave me when I was around 7. It was a Christmas gift that she had saved to give me at my Grandma's house. As I remember, Mom thought all the Aunts and Uncles were going to give their kids a gift at the Goodwin Christmas gathering, but when we got there only Mom had gifts for her kids. She pulled Michelle and I into Grandma's sewing room, which I loved that blue room just so you know, and gave us our gifts. Mine was a beautiful music box girl thing. I loved her. Michelle and I would whined her up every night and fall asleep listening to her play. I remember Michelle once told me if I told anyone she listened to a music box to fall asleep she would beat me up! HAHA! I better watch my back! When Michelle and I moved our room back upstairs she somehow got left downstairs for awhile. One day while in the basement back room I found her...in pieces. Travis had knocked her down on the cement floor by accident. I was so sad. Dad got out the trusty glue and put her back together. I now loved her even more because my Dad had taken the time to mend her and my broken heart! As I grew I still kept her safely in my room. When I became a mom myself I started playing her sweet music for my kids. Well they of course loved her two and wanted to play with her. She held up really well until Cylie was born. I tried to play it for her put my sweet doll had finally had enough. I was so heart broken, it was a sweet gift my mother had given me. Since Mom passed all of the things she had given or were hers have become so cherished. I put my sweet music doll away. I couldn't bear to throw her away. Now lets move on to my dear husband he really falls short in the gift giving department. He always has, I don't fault him for it.(anymore!HEHE!) It was a few days before Christmas and he sent me a text that said I must pay it forward. I was so confused as to what he meant. He said he had just been shown the true meaning of Christmas and needed to pay it forward so if I new of anything please let him know. He wouldn't tell me what had been done for him because it involved my present. I was so dang confused, and a little mad! I don't like being teased like that! I had to let it go so it didn't consume me with what he was talking about! On Christmas morning this is the gift I opened.....


I was confused at first! I said you found a new one? He said no I found a lady in Idaho Falls to fix it for you. It was a little different because they didn't know what the brown part was, it was a tree limb that held little birds. The tears began to fall. He had taken the time to find it, hide it and get it fixed. Then he told me the story of the Lady in Idaho Falls that fixed it for me. He knew I always wanted to know what the song was that played on the box. Well most boxes are stamped with the music, well she wasn't. Knowing how important it was this sweet lady listened to the song over and over. She even enlisted help. They figured out what it was and he even bought me sheet music for it. The song is called "You light up my life" How appropriate don't you think. He then told me he had told the lady how important the music box was to me and why. He told me she had also lost her mother way to early in life and knew the pain I was feeling. She wouldn't let him pay her for fixing the music box. I again began to cry! She said it was her pleasure to return such a special gift to my life. What an amazing women. What an amazing Husband. What an amazing Mother. What an amazing gift. This music box is one of my prized possessions. My Mother gave it to me, my Father fixed it, and my Husband recreated it and gave a piece of my mother back to me!