The saying goes, “People come in to your life for a reason or for a season.” My dear friend, Suzanne, came to me for both. Though we were face-to-face friends for less than a year, she made a lasting impact. Now, constrained by distance, but enabled by technology, we share laughs and heartfelt talks whenever we can.

Take Comfort Mom--and Take Credit.

A Bird Flies Out of the Nest

Last week, she took her oldest boy to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah where he will begin serving a two-year mission for our church. After a couple months of training, he’ll be headed to Russia. At just 19 years old, this boy’s freckle-filled-boyish face belies a wise, old man who says things you’d expect to hear from someone who’s lived four times his little lifetime. He’s amazing. He can’t wait to serve. But everytime I compliment my friend on raising such a fine boy, she replies, “I can’t take the credit. He came that way.” To which I say, “Then take credit for not messing him up.”

A Token of Comfort for Mom

If we lived closer, I would have been waiting on Suzanne’s doorstep when she got back from the big drop to give her a hug and feed her some chocolate. Because we both know that her boy is gonna do great, but it can be hard for the mamma bird to let even the most well-trained bird fly away.

Since I can’t be there in person, I sent Suzanne an electronic gift card to Deseret Book so she can buy something to uplift her on days that she’s missing him the most. He is in good hands. So is Suzanne.

Celebrate Moms at Graduation Time

This experience has me thinking about graduation time. We always celebrate the graduate for his or her accomplishments and rightly so. But perhaps we need to start celebrating the parents who devoted womb and room to raising these kids. It seems a harsh reward to think that after you’ve exhausted yourself giving your child the tools necessary to survive on his own—he has the nerve to actually do it.

For graduation this season, think about the moms who are being left behind. What gift card would you give to a mom who is about to say goodbye to one of her chicks?

Is it worth the effort? Let me know.

Though giving a gift card is sometimes viewed as too easy and showing a lack of effort, giving this gift card may be the exception.

I just read Eric Taub’s article on Home Depot’s new video gift card and I’m a little skeptical. Apparently this gift card enables the giver to upload a video or record one on the Home Depot website via web cam. Upon receipt of the gift card, the recipient enters a code online to watch the video. There are other tricks you can perform via web cam as well. Seems like a decent way to personalize a gift card.

But the reason I’m anxious about the idea is that technology, when not working as promised, can be frustrating. I imagine toiling over a video only to discover the file size is too big. (Been there.) Or sending someone the video gift card only to find that he or she doesn’t have the right browser, plug-in, or web cam to see the video. (Hello Aunt Vera.) My efforts to be creative could result in a phone call to tech support instead. Am I wrong?

If you have experience with the Home Depot Video Gift Card, give me the details. Who did you give it to…and how old or tech savvy is that person? Is the effort worth it?