What is in this little brown bag?
If I showed you, it probably wouldn’t mean anything to you.
In fact, you might be like, “Who cares? So what? I don’t get it.”
But if I told you (and I just might) why it says “(heart) Mom,” it probably would mean a lot to you.
In fact, you might be like, “ Aha! Yup. I get it now.”
That’s because it’s a mom thing inside the brown bag.
A mom thing in the form of a Taylor Ham (yes, I’m from North Jersey and that’s what we call it here) and egg (no cheese, no ketchup) on an everything bagel from our local bagel shop.
And not just from any local bagel shop.
The one we drive all.the.way to (now that we moved 30 minutes away) just to get this one-of-a-kind deliciousness.
The one where memories have formed with friends and family and foe alike.
The very particular (as in the only) one my son not-so-secretly loves and would eat every day.
This mom thing happens to every single mom (I’m pretty sure).
We are “out and about” doing mom stuff or not mom stuff (it doesn’t matter) and our kid pops right into our brain.
Just pops. Out of nowhere.
Thoughts jump around.
“I’m totally going to stop and get the treat they love so much.”
“But it’s pretty far out of the way.”
“Who cares?”
Somehow, someway, no matter what kind of tasks we are doing or how much extra time it will take, we rearrange it all so we can stop in THAT place to get them their favorite.
Even in the getting of it, walking back out to our car, treat in hand, our hearts have a little jolt of mom joy.
We can’t wait to see the look on their face as we place it in their ever-loving hands.
We might even get a hug and a “thanks, Mom.”
We are just a bit giddy inside.
Because in a world where flashy and shiny and costly seem to be way high on the kid list, it’s the ordinary mom things, like mom love in a little brown bag, that are right at the top.
For them.
And especially for us.