Markers , Momentos or a Box of Candy

I flew down to see my Mom
On her 90th birthday
I didn't tell her I was coming
The look on her face was priceless
when I walked through the door

What to bring other than me
was my dilemma
I wanted something more lasting
than a meaningless box of chocolates
Maybe a stuffed animal I thought
Though that was never something I would have
done before

The story reads better with the stuffed animal
But in the end I went traditional
with a nice box of candy
which we all enjoyed

My mom is not well
Struggling to hang on
We had the best visit we could
I'm hoping to keep coming back
to enjoy what time is left here

I think I made the right choice
on her present though
The gift of a son marking a moment
Later that day she said to me privately
"You really surprised me, you did good"

That was my gift on her birthday
A mother tried and true ...