I just made my friend's day and it brought tears to my eyes

[Monique1]

He has been a die hard NO Saints fan since their existence - today he received the book I bought him by Sean Payton called Home Team. He was so excited that I thought I gave him a million dollars. It feels so good to give and to feel his happiness.

[handmade34]

1. nice thing to do

...those seemingly little things can mean a lot to someone. I bought "A Sailor's Logbook" for my stepdad the Xmas before he died and my mon said that book was a big deal for him: he worked on the shipping freighters on Lake Michigan most of his life.

http://bks7.books.google.com/books?id=dDKC9hb-P4MC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&edge=curl&sig=ACfU3U0c__jWb1cGUlsJQ4_OXqlzzGxCvQ

[applegrove]

2. I love it when you find what you think is the perfect gift for someone and indeed it is. I bought

my nephews an indoor putting green for them when they were about 8 and 11. They loved it. They played with it for hours. I also gave the toddler of a friend of the family a really thick compendium of various fables. He zoned right into it, stopped opening other presents and looked at the pictures on each page. It felt great.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

3. A friend from Canada sent me a monkey

It was a "Beanie Buddy"...very well made, and from what I can tell, probably cost him a bit.

I thought "OK, that's nice."

Then I realized why he sent it, and I cried.

I'd sent him this previously (a scan from the book "Zen Wisdom" by Anthony Man-Tu Lee:



I came across this at a genuine fork in the road in my life. I took the fork that led to me starting my own business, rather than looking for another cubicle job, which I hated.

And my friend remembered.

To this day, "Noriko" (my friend gave her that name since we are both huge fans of Japanese singer Seiko Matsuda...that's how we became friends...and her real name is Noriko Kamachi) has been my "mascot," and has remained in my home office. As I type this, as I turn my head to the right slightly, there she is...I just took this photo a few minutes ago, specifically for my reply to you:



So realize this...the gift was cool but what your friend reacted to was the greatest gift of all, which you gave...the gift of your friendship.

The gift is the same, whether it's a stuffed monkey or a copy of Sean Payton's book. It's the same gift...a friend saying to someone "You are my friend."

:toast:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. And there is no gift that is more precious...

And dammit now I'm crying again.

:hug:

[Monique1]

5. This person has been through hell and back

and this person deserves whatever good can come their way. This was like a warm fuzzy and hopefully happy memories.

[SargeUNN]

6. I am the one that got the wonderful gift

I have been a Saints fan since before the Saints even existed. I was in New Orleans, my birth city in 65 and saw a sign about bringing the NFL to N.O. I became a fan that day and have been a fan ever since, yes even during the year they were referred to as the Aints. Naturally, their winning the Super Bowl alone would be good enough, but since I went through Katrina and remember how the Saints were the only thing that got me away from it added to the sweetness of the victory. I remember Sean Payton committing to helping the ninth ward, how the Saints players pitched in to help. Yes the book was like a million dollars to me in so many ways. Just shows some things are more valuable than any dollar amount. Thanks Monique for giving me such a priceless gift.

[Lilith Velkor]

7. Hi there Monique1

I just wanted to publicly apologize for jumping down your throat the other day. I realized too late that you probably replied to my post by mistake.

And I'm glad you made somebody's day. Take care, and be well.

[Monique1]

8. Thank you

I am learning how to do things in here and I am too quick on the keyboard.