Anniversary Gift Of Family

by Eric
(Texas, USA)

For my wife and me, our 5th anniversary was particularly difficult. Jen had lost her job after the small grocery store where she worked was forced to close due to economic struggles. I had taken a lower paying job after facing similar circumstances.

We understood that this anniversary would be about more important things such as family, especially each other. So, when our anniversary arrived I didn't expect much.

The day went by uneventfully until evening. Jen said that in order to receive my anniversary gift I would accompany her to a surprise location.

We got in the car and she began driving. After a few minutes, I realized we were driving to the neighborhood where I had grown up, and where my sister still lived.

We arrived at my sister's home. Upon entering, we found my sister and three individuals about twenty to thirty years older than us, whom I had never met.

A little background: my mother had passed away when I was two years old, so I never really knew her. My father had passed away while I was in college.

What Jen had accomplished was to track down people who had known my mother when she was young. These acquaintances of my mother proceeded to tell me wonderful stories about her life.

One was a neighbor, one a coworker, and one a church friend. By the end of the evening we were all in tears. Not only did I now know my mother better, but I almost felt she was there with us.