February 17, 2011
Gift of the Magi
Dear Dr. Laura, My birthday is on January 31st, and for the entire month of January, my husband continued to drop hints about what he got me for my birthday. He is usually unable to keep a secret, so I was hoping this time he would keep my gift a surprise. With all of my husband's excitement about my upcoming birthday, I wanted to get him something really special for Valentine's Day. Last July, when we got married, my husband got a traditional silver band from me, and he also purchased a fancier band with diamonds on it to match mine. About a month ago, he told me he no longer liked the fancy diamond band it felt uncomfortable. He would rather have a simple gold band to match his late father's watch, but we were past the 30 day return policy. Remembering this, I discovered he still had time to bring the ring back for a merchandise exchange. I planned to exchange the ring for a gold band, and use the leftover store credit to get him a gift. However, I didn't want to get the wrong thing, so I went ahead and told him what I had planned, and asked if we could go to the jewelry store together to pick out exactly what he wanted. As I told him this, a huge grin spread across his face and he said, "You're perfect, you know that? That is so sweet of you to remember I wanted a gold ring, and you were going to get me an extra gift, too. That reminds me of the story that was on the intro of Dr. Laura's book, "The Proper Care & Feeding of Marriage," that I listened to on the way back from my hunting trip last week.** It brought a tear to my eye." "The gift if the Magi?!" I said, and burst into tears. "That was my mother's favorite story. I forgot that story was in Dr. Laura's book! When I was a little girl, my mother would read us stories from "The Book of Virtues," and when she read me that story, she cried so hard. At the time, I didn't understand why a sweet story like that would make an adult cry so much." While huge tears streamed down my adult face, my husband stepped out of the room and quickly returned with a bag from the jewelry store. Inside the bag were two small boxes. The first box held a gold wedding band, and the second box held the most beautiful diamond stud earrings. "Happy Birthday!" he exclaimed, one week early. I'm glad he ruined the surprise again. It was the perfect moment to give me my birthday gift, and I love the earrings even more knowing that he bought them after hearing "The Gift of the Magi," my mother's favorite story. Although my mother passed away 6 months before I met my husband, I know she is very happy with my choice. I married a man who will sacrifice things in his life for his wife and family. Because of my husband's unselfish nature, I will become a stay-at-home mom this July when we welcome our first child into the world. (A baby girl!) Many thanks to you, Dr. Laura, and my own stay-at-home mother. The guidance and advice you have both given throughout the years has created for me a life in which dreams are made. C. **Footnote: I purchased the hardcover versions of your "The Proper Care & Feeding..." books for myself and my husband when we got engaged, but he didn't know who you were at the time, so he never read them. After he heard your show on podcasts I downloaded, he decided to download the audio version of your book because he loved what he heard!

Posted by Staff at 10:19 PM