The Unexpected Gift

A little before Christmas I received a very unexpected gift. My son drove a couple of hours away to interview for a summer job. This was not just any job, but one in a summer camp in the woods – a bit off the beaten path. Later that day around 4:00 PM we got a call – he left the lights on, his car would not start, and he was unable to get it jumped. A friend offered to take him home, leaving his car there. We would need to retrieve the car later. At this point I was not exactly looking at this as a gift, but major nuisance. I could not be too mad because I have a tendency to do exactly the same type of thing. The next morning he and I got a new battery, loaded a bunch of tools in my car, and drove up to the woods to change the battery and get his car. Along the way we talked about his classes in college, world events, politics, and yes – car batteries. A two hour drive gives you a lot of time to talk. But truth be told, I enjoyed it. The battery in GM mini-van is in a horrid place: under the fuse box and a diagonal front brace. So there is a good bit of hardware to remove just to see the battery. I let him do most of the work – I just handed him tools. While we worked on the van I realized this was not a nuisance, but a gift. Instead of worrying about grades, curriculum, or schedules I received a day spent with my son. Priceless.