As some of you may know, Anna clips coupons. Like clockwork on Sunday afternoon, she would clip scads of coupons from the AJC. And from time to time, she would mail them to me. Fat envelopes stuffed with buy-one-get-one frees and $1 off Tidy Cat and Swiss Miss hot chocolate - all tucked inside some humorous card or a note that said, "Thinking of you." Sometimes I would use the coupons, and sometimes they expired in the mail pile because I am a thousand times less organized than she is. But she knows what kind of shampoo, contact solution and toothpaste I use - and she'd send me the coupons accordingly.
Last weekend, amid all the chaos of getting documents in order for the probate and this and that, she sat quietly on the couch for half an hour and carefully trimmed out the week's coupons. Justin and Eva were awarded all coupons pertaining to baby supplies. And Mom was given those for coffee and asundry items that we use and she doesn't. After awhile, she murmured, "This is like therapy." And when I needed the IcyHot Patches, she said, "I have a coupon for that!"
Tonight we pulled in the driveway around 9 o'clock. I feel like I haven't had a weekend. The kitchen table is covered with piles of opened mail, sorted and read and tossed into a great heap of condolences and bills. There's dirty laundry spilling out of the hampers; I need to change the sheets on my bed, long overdue for a fresh set. Dad walked through the house looking at the mess and mayhem in every corner and said, "Let's just burn the house down and start over."
He sat at the computer, reading the financial news, and Mom opened the weekend's newspapers. I looked at the stack of inserts she set aside from the middle of the Sunday paper. I went and got the scissors. I started clipping, neatly trimming the sides until I had a stack of coupons. "What are you doing?" Dad asked. "She rubbing off on you?"
"Sort of," I said. "I'm going to write her a card, send them to her." Because I can't do anything to make it better. Because I can't fix it. I'm just going to give her coupons for Advil PM and Nestles Treasures chocolate candy.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Coupons
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7 cat calls:
I wish we could all be there to help you do those things that end up undone, like changing sheets and doing laundry. I'm sure that receiving coupons from you will be a comfort to Anna in some small way.
What a wonderful idea.
David's mom does the same thing for us, usually with a clipping of a comic strip to go with it.
Maybe Anna would like a little B.C. or Calvin and Hobbs?
It is definitely the little things sometimes that get us through.
That's a beautiful connection. I can imagine it would be therapeutic for both of you - to sit down and do something methodically, but without requiring too much thought, other than of other people. I'm sure she'll be touched to get your card. Greg's mama sends us coupons sometimes, too. And she used to send The Vent with it on occasion. is this a Southern thing, I wonder?
That's a really beautiful and lovely idea. I second Jenn - I would totally change your sheets and do your laundry if I could (hell, if it's easier to ship them off, I'll do it anyway : )
Thank you, ladies. I actually came home from work today, and Mom was at the first grade play. I changed my clothes, but I wouldn't allow myself to sit down until I'd changed the sheets on Mom and Dad's bed and my bed. I'm so looking forward to clean sheets tonight. :)
This is such a sweet gesture.
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