Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Surprise !!

I had such a nice surprise today and am still basking in the glow of it, so permit me to share some of the joy with you.

I spent a busy morning at the computer catching up on email and then set to work returning numerous phone calls. After lunch Anvilcloud went out to do errands, and I went up to my studio to get back to “work”. I was on the phone when I heard him come in the side door about an hour later, so it took me about 10 minutes to come down and say hello. I walked into the kitchen and there on the table sat a white jewellery box all tied up with a gold bow. Oh so pretty.

I can’t tell you how thrilling it was to see that box sitting there. I thought I knew what was in it and couldn’t believe that it was waiting on my table for me! I have seen movies where someone is surprised by a gift-wrapped jewellery box, and they are positively thrilled about the bauble in the box, but I don’t ever remember it happening to me. How neat when it is your turn for something like that to happen, and it is a genuine surprise. I don’t remember much of what I did or said, but I think I squealed with delight. Yikes! I don’t recall any time that I have ever done that before, but this was such a surprise.

This was a Tuesday morning for goodness sake, and no special Tuesday at that. Not my birthday or our anniversary, or any other special occasion, just a plain old Tuesday morning in February. How neat and wonderful.

It all started over 20 years ago with a beautiful silver and amethyst Scottish shawl pin I bought for myself. I wear that shawl pin all the time and get comments on it every time I do. It really is quite beautiful and unique.

One day last year I walked into a small ladies dress shop in town, and the owner noticed the pin, walked over to me and said, “I have the perfect ring to go with that pin. Let me show it to you.” She did and it was!!! I loved the ring but left the store without it. It was too expensive and just not the right time to buy it for myself. I did love it though and mentioned it to Anvilcloud. He asked me to take him to the store and show it to him, just in case he needed a gift idea sometime in the future, he wanted to see what it was like. I took him to the store to point it out to him, and he bought it for me right then and there. Right on the spot, for no special occasion at all! I was flabbergasted and thrilled to pieces.

I wear the ring and pin all the time and still get comments on them each time I do. The pin is beautiful, but the ring is extra special because of the way it came to me.

While doing my errands yesterday, I saw a silver and amethyst bracelet that would go beautifully with the pin and ring. My birthday is coming up next month, and our 36th wedding anniversary is in May. I thought Anvilcloud might want a gift idea or two, so I mentioned the bracelet to him.

Yep, you guessed it, he went down to the store today and bought it for me, had it gift wrapped and just set it on the kitchen table for me to discover. He didn’t even think of keeping it for my birthday or our anniversary. Just gave it to me to enjoy today. Wow! You just never know what tomorrow will hold for any of us, so he wanted to give it to me now. I still can’t believe it.

Gifts out of the blue like that are so amazing and wonderful and memorable. Now, along with the story behind the ring I have the story behind the bracelet, and the stories are what make each piece absolutely priceless.

Do something totally out of the blue and unexpected for someone you love this week, and give them a story to tell. If you don’t have someone special in your life right now, do a random act of kindness for a stranger. It will make their day, and yours too. I love surprises don’t you? Come on now, put your thinking caps on and have some fun planning who you can surprise and how.

5 comments:

karla said...

Hi Cuppa
Oh my! What a husband you have! Surprises ARE wonderful aren't they?

Your bracelet is stunning! And it matches the broach and ring perfectly! (You have the most perfectly manicured nails too by the way!)

Amethyst is one of my favorite minerals. It is so beautiful. I have quite a large mineral collection actually, (not jewel quality, but minerals in all their natural glory), and amethyst is truly one of the prettiest.

Now lets see how I can drop a few subtle hints for my husband to drop by and read your blog today :)!

Iona said...

Hey pictures! Love that! Nice entry too, made me feel all warm inside! You certainly have an amazing husband! And your bracelet, shawl pin and ring look *so* pretty!

I just love those out-of-the-blue gifts, they are the best! And it doesn't even have to be an expensive gift. I'm already satisfied with a bunch of flowers from the back yard, if you get my point. As long as it's out-of-the-blue!

My hubby is not that great with out-of-the-blue gifts. (Or actually, with just gifts in general!)
I tried to mention it sometimes, but it's like he doens't understand the thrill I would experience from it. I do buy him gifts sometimes and I just get this tingly feeling inside when I see the surprised smile on his face when he opens the gift..
But when I get a gift, he always mentions upfront about buying me a gift and wanting me to come to the store and pick something out. But all the fun is gone then!
Just the other day he said; "We're not going to buy each other gifts for Valentine's Day, are we?"
I guess he has a lot to learn... sigh.
Just for once I would REALLY like it if he would buy me a gift out of the blue, just like Anvilcloud did for you! That would blow me away and I would likely start crying of happiness!

Hmmm.. perhaps I should let him read your story... wink wink ;)

Cuppa said...

Yes, if the guys would only learn that we don't need big extravagent gifts, something small would be spectacular as long as it was a complete out-of-the-blue surprise for no other special reaason than that they love you and want to show it in a special way. An action that is outsided the box!

I remember one time we were vacationing at the cottage and we had a ten minute drive to the beach. I wasn't feeling well at all that day and just wanted to sit quietly and suffer in silence. AC took the kids back to the cottage for lunch and left me on the beach to rest my weary head and soak up some sun. When they came back, he brought me a pot of tea! Yes, a whole pot of tea, wrapped in a towel to keep it warm. He also brought a mug, a spoon, milk to add to the tea and a cookie to munch on. I was thrilled beyond words. Little things like that mean the world don't they? Didn't cost a cent, but it was worth a million dollars to me that day.

Iona said...

Wow, that's so sweet! :)

Cuppa said...

It is all AC's talent with the pics, not mine.