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Surprises make a bad week much better

Surprises make a bad week better.

Not that it was an awful week, but there are those moments during most any work and extracurricular week when you’re inclined to think, great earth, the grass has got to be greener somewhere else.

One sweet surprise arrived on the porch midweek, a box with horse stickers on it.

I knew before I even looked at the return label that it was from my sister Linda in South Carolina, our family’s year-round Santa Claus.

And I knew the box was packed with presents she shouldn’t have gotten me along with an apology that I wouldn’t believe, not that she’d technically done anything wrong.

The message on her card, written in that familiar lovely Linda cursive, assured me that she just happened to have been out shopping and just happened to run across these fabulous sales and couldn’t help but get herself a few things and, of course, the deals were too good to pass up and not get her baby sister a few things, too.

“Oh, that Linda,” I shook my head as I finished reading the card and inventoried the box’s contents.

A white blouse. A blue blouse. A purple sweater. A multi-colored sweater. Two pairs of Isotoner gloves. And three pairs of blingy earrings wrapped together with a separate note in which she swore in lovely Linda cursive that she hadn’t paid actual price for the one pair of earrings from which the price tag could not be covered or camouflaged.

I called to thank her/scold her. I told her I don’t pay that much for an entire outfit, much less one pair of blingy earrings.

She laughed and doubted it, swearing the stores were practically giving things away.

Shop practices in South Carolina apparently are different from their northern counterparts, it appears.

Where would the world be without sweet, thoughtful sisters?

Or singing Kiwanians, for that matter.

I go from time to time to Steubenville Kiwanis Club meetings, their Tuesday noon luncheon and business meetings a mere three blocks away from the office

And from time to time they sing a tribute to someone in their midst after the “Kiwanis Choir” practices in earnest for minutes before presenting their performance to the tune of “Jingle Bells.”

It was my turn this week. Surprise.

“Janice K, Janice K, we’re so proud of you

“For coming to Kiwanis, it’s like a dream come true…

“Janice K, Janice K, You truly make us glow

“We thank you for the pictures, which make our balance grow…. (incidentally, members are fined when their picture is in the newspaper.)

“Janice K, Janice K, one thing that’s so true

You make us look so very good, in everything we do….

“Janice K, Janice K, not sure if you’re a notary,

“But tell us that you’ll always pick Kiwanis over Rotary!” (Standing club joke)

That was one special surprise serenade that made me laugh, that made a not terribly bad week even better.

And yes, there is grass greener somewhere else.

It’s called April or May.

(Kiaski, a resident of Richmond, is a staff columnist and community editor for the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times. She can be contacted atjkiaski@heraldstaronline.com.)

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