On Saturday, I received three boxes in the mail. I’m thinking Mothers Day gifts–but three? I only have two kids, and one is already home from college.

Then, I noticed that one of the boxes had a return address I couldn’t make out even if I could find my reading glasses (Greek?) I plunged a knife into that box first and, to my surprise, pulled out a copy of (I quickly looked at the copyright since that was the only text in English) To Sin With a Stranger in Russian.  Cool.  I’d been told the title was a bestseller in Russian, so it was great to have few copies of my very own.

I moved to the second box and slid the knife through the packing tape. Another unexpected box of books.  I plucked up a copy.  This book was in Spanish, so I could read most of the title, How to Propose to a Prince. Lovely purple cover. Double cool.

Third box. There was a warning to open the box carefully, so I peeled off the tape with my inadequately short, dull fingernails. A Mother’s Day card, from my daughter still away at school, sat atop a large basket full of Spring bulbs, just beginning to bloom. Aw. Goodies galore and it wasn’t quite Mother’s Day yet.

It was Christmas in May.