The Green Stamp Fiasco

I have alluded to this event before in my writings. But today I am  cleaning up some drafts I stored and never posted.

Growing up my siblings and I were taught to give, especially gifts among the family members. We had meager allowances, so these gifts were often just for our parents on special occasions-Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day and Father's Day.



Often these gifts were home-made drawings, cards, etc. Mother strongly believed it was the thought and best effort most important; the gifts were truly useless expressions love by our developing minds and attitudes. She often said this, just in case she perceived one of us might ridicule the other sibling's efforts. Also whatever we gave, be it a gift, help, etc. it should be our best.



I must admit I was a slow learner, but it was a core belief she tried to teach us. As I think back over the years, my sister absorbed the lesson to the greatest extent the earliest. Since I don't live near her today, I cannot attest if this value continued into adulthood, although with 4 children, and her job in social services, probably enhanced the lessons in totality, not just gifts.

My brother helped others in different ways, not necessarily gifting. He also was the first to receive paychecks, as he was allowed to work at the lumber and hardware chain where Dad was manager. My sister and I still got a small allowance but were not allowed to work outside the home, when many of our friends were car-hopping at the local drive-ins, or served as low wage waitresses, sales persons, etc.



I probably learned the lessons in totality as life slowly crawled along. Being a first child I was absorbed in my importance as oldest and smartest (HA!) and demanding or impressing those around me. So Mother's lesson converted in my mind I had to 'out-do, out-perform, out-buy, out-learn, out-shine and out-give' for many years, but especially when I entered the work force. It was often a duty, not from the heart.

 Today I know that was not her lesson, but each person's mind does not convert the messenger's message the same as the next.



While a freshman in the university (1956), I had a summer job in a local independent drug store. The hours counted toward my pharmacy practical experience licensure requirement. This was an older version of drugstore with soda fountain, a lunch plate, jewelry, perfume & cosmetic counter, and miscellaneous gifts.

It pleased me to be able to obtain small items my parents used at a discount, one small benefit of my small salary, like cosmetics, toiletries, colognes, etc. I felt I was repaying them in a very small way for all they did for me.

Christmas was big time business at independent drug stores; we even gift wrapped. We were the first small store to have a bow-maker, a big time labor saver in those days, before bows were bought in big packages.

Not having graduated, I lived at home when not at the university.

Even though times were not as rough as in the '40s, having one child in a state university and two more siblings still in public school, but possibly headed to some sort of higher learning, frugality still existed in the family budget.

The meals of pinto (usually) beans and cornbread were frequent. A chicken fried  round steak with milk gravy made in same skillet with crumbs was divided 5 ways. Meatloaf was frequent. I never felt deprived.  I love all three menus to this day.



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When the Christmas items began to arrive at the pharmacy, I began to peruse the "latest" items coming down the pike. A West Bend bean pot (Forerunner to the CrockPot) caught my eye. It was a tad pricey for my salary; after all I had Christmas gifts to buy for 5 family members plus Mother's Christmas Eve birthday.

However, in my mind, as was often the case with all of us, her gifts usually were for both birthday and Christmas. So I reasoned I could gift the bean pot as for dual occasions.


There are no words to describe my pride in what was perceived as a time saver for a meal she frequently cooked. I could hardly wait for Christmas morn. I also perceived it as "grown-up" gift. I was bursting with pride in my gift selection.

As I recently described Christmas was the biggest event of the year as Dad had big bonuses, and certain premium gifts from companies with which he did business. Then there was the family Christmas gift and the S & H Green Stamps gift which Mother selected.

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I do not remember when Mother opened the gift, her birthday, or Christmas Day. She immediately laughed and said now she had two of them, as I would soon see. She then opened the Green Stamp gift which was identical in every respect.



She saw how disappointed I was, and said "great minds run in the same channel" but it was not even a little comforting to me. Nor would she let me take it back for a different gift. She did not believe in returning or re-gifting. However, a few years later when I set up my first apartment one of the two ended up with me.

Years later I remembered the wise man Solomon in Proverbs 16:18, said "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." I probably was guilty of a little of both way back when I was pretty full of myself.



Generosity and charitable acts are more than gifts. My husband had these traits when he had nothing.  I've learned from him; yet I prefer to work through organizational efforts and in different areas than he does. As I have matured spiritually and his generous spirit, we are more fortuitively blessed to be able to recognize and spontaneously help when need arise, than we once were.

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POSTLUDE TO WHAT AM I DOING



The ductwork is completed; hate to see the electric bill from all the space heaters we used for a week.

The housekeeper is well and worked yesterday.

The computer shuffle is continuing.

The medical dilemma still exists; I am dealing better with it.

I now have bronchitis, coughing my head off.



Today I connected the humidifier and water trap wrong on the oxygenator--have water everywhere.  Then I was told to only use distilled water (we had bottled drinking water). NOWHERE in the literature does it say DISTILLED water, which I pointed out to the representative I saw earlier in the day. I do have Distilled water in the house.

The water backed out my nasal cannula onto the floor and sounded like a waterfall beside my chair, except no goldfish, frogs  and lily pads. I am thankful the cannula was NOT in my nose!

More frozen precipitation is due late tonight, so I that furry rodent, the overstuffed ground hog, is way off in his prediction, but we'll see.