Giraffe Pancakes

by Michael Webb



On Saturday Athena asked me if I would like to have pancakes or
scones for breakfast.  I chose pancakes.

As I read the morning's paper, Athena and my son were busy in the
kitchen, making a special meal for me.  Athena whipped up the
batter and Ashton helped her by emptying out the cabinets.

When it was time to sit down for the meal I got a wonderful
surprise. Athena made a giraffe pancake for me.  She recently
learned from my mom that I always asked for my pancakes to be
shaped like a giraffe when I was a young boy.  My mom isn't that
artistic so she said she always offered to make a really good sun
or moon instead.

I was so delighted at Athena's effort to make a special pancake
just for me.  Honestly, it looked like more like a horse than a
giraffe but I couldn't have been happier.

Blissful relationships don't revolve around grand romantic
gestures. Fancy jewelry, exotic fur coats, limousine rides and
roses delivered to the office are nice tokens, but anyone with
money can try to BUY love.  And certainly far too many people
purchase these items in order to impress others or as a payoff for
being such an insensitive jerk the rest of the time.  I'm not
trying to put down nice presents, but if they are the sole means of
expressing your love then you are missing out on something really
special.

When Athena and I were first married I bought her all sorts of
things -- jewelry, clothes, cards and trinkets.  I thought that the
more gifts I gave her and the more money I spent would show her how
much I loved her.  While she truly appreciated the gifts, I
realized later on that what came out of my bank account didn't
matter nearly as much as what came out of my heart.

Now I try to express my love to Athena more by my actions than by
my purchases. More by my words than by my wallet.

As the saying goes, the little things are what keeps a marriage
strong and makes it blissful.  Good-bye kisses and welcome home
hugs. Calls in the middle of the day. Holding hands during the
movie. Dinner at home over candlelight. Walks on the beach. Sharing
your dreams. Notes on the bathroom mirror. Baking cookies together
and of course...  giraffe pancakes