Gifts and Grilling

Earlier this summer, my Dad called me up and stated that he and my Mom wanted to do something special for me, just because. Initially, I was thinking this meant maybe taking me out to eat at a favorite restaurant (why does everything revolve around food for me), or something similar. This was my frame of mind. I don't know why I thought this...my parents have always been incredibly generous. Maybe because when I think of doing something special for someone, it starts with the favorite restaurant idea (again, food). I don't know.

Anyway, my Dad quickly got to the point and stated that they were thinking about getting me a new grill as they know I enjoy grilling (would you look at that, food again). But he wasn't just talking about any grill, but a Weber grill. And not just any Weber grill, but one with several amenities I've wanted. Three burners; underneath storage; a side burner; a sear station; tool hooks; warming rack; thermometer; even Flavorizer bars, for crying out load. It's consistently hot enough to "bake" potatoes quicker than the oven. Seriously. This thing is loaded.

But that's probably getting ahead of myself a little bit. He mentioned it to me during a phone conversation at the very beginning of summer, but I decided to not bring it up again. Since Jackie and I have been trying to save money for the adoption, we've known that we would be cutting back on what we would normally do for birthdays and Christmas; the adoption process is going to cost us something close to 1/3 of our gross annual income, from start to finish, so we were trying to save a lot by making many small adjustments. But because of this, I was uncomfortable "actively pursuing," I guess is the term I would use, such a nice gift from someone else.

My Dad wouldn't let me get away with this, though, as he continued to bring up the idea over the course of the summer. He told me he was looking to get me a Weber grill, towards the end of the season, and I should pick out something that had everything I wanted in it. He told me not to worry about the price, he would tell me if it was too much. I continued to hem-haw on this for awhile, but I eventually went ahead and discussed these grills with my Dad, and what grills I considered nice.

I think I came to understood that my parents just wanted to do something nice, with no strings or expectations or no specific reasons, but genuinely, just because. Sometimes, I think these can be the hardest gifts to accept. At Christmases, everyone's doing a gift exchange. At birthdays, our social customs of gift giving are there, and you know there is an opportunity for reciprocity. But I think unrequited gift giving is something we often reserve for charity and churches, and rarely something we experience on the receiving end. So its "hard" because part of it makes you feel uncomfortable, like you're violating well-established social mores. I really didn't intend to start waxing philosophical about all this...but for whatever reason, it took some time for me to get comfortable with the idea of this gift (and honestly, its a continual process).

So anyway, through conversations with my Dad, my parents got me the grill I linked above. And as I stated, it is loaded. And in the couple weeks I have had it, we've had well more than half our meals cooked on it (didn't rain all summer, then I get a new grill and it has to start raining). But I think there are a few things I've taken from all these events...

My parents are awesome (confirmation really), and I am immeasurably fortunate to be their son, and even more so to be able to honestly call them friends...its nice having a grill that does all the hard work for you in preparing great food (seriously, this thing makes me a better cook than I really am)...its important to learn how to accept and be grateful, in addition to being generous and charitable.

Every time I look back onto our back patio, I'll see this bad boy of a grill and think of my parents. Each time I cook out with friends, I think of their generosity. Each time I make "tiger" dogs (hot dogs with stripes) for my kids, I'll think of my parents and the plethora of gifts they have given me. Every time I see this grill, I will be reminded that people and life really are good, and that I am fortunate.

Without further ado, my new grill, in action...