A Postpartum Gift I’ll Never Forget

One of the best gifts I’ve ever been given came from a total stranger.

I was not prepared for postpartum life. 

Every day of pregnancy was difficult and I knew going into labor and delivery that giving birth might be one of the hardest things I would ever do. But life with a newborn and all of the challenges that postpartum brings? I was not ready for that. 

There was one day in particular a few months after my daughter was born I was really struggling. My husband was working and I had to take my baby out for a doctor appointment. She HATED the car and would scream and cry so hard every time we drove anywhere she would choke and throw up. It was beyond awful. 

After stopping the car for the third time to hold her and calm her down, we were now over an hour into our “25 minute” drive home. She had finally calmed down and even fallen asleep, which was a small miracle because she never took naps. 

I knew that the second I put her into the car seat, she would wake up and start screaming. And mentally I could not handle one more moment of my daughter sobbing and choking in the back seat. I needed a break. 

So I looked around the parking lot and as luck would have it, I was parked near Olive Garden. I am a diehard foodie and eating out was something I’d sorely missed the last few months. That was the break I needed.

I wrapped my daughter up in a blanket and walked in to wearily request a table for “one and a baby”. I have no idea what I looked like. Probably a huge mess with crazy hair and red, tired eyes and throw up all over me. 

We were seated and I ordered right away, not wanting to stay too long in case she woke up. I felt the exhaustion creeping in on every side. Physical, mental and emotional warfare taking place inside me as I struggled not to break down right there in the restaurant. 

“Excuse me?” I heard a voice murmur to my right. 

I turned and saw a woman standing close by. She’d been near the hostess stand with a group of her friends when we’d walked in the doors a few minutes before. I didn’t even realize she’d noticed us. 

“Excuse me, I’m sorry to interrupt,” she continued. “But I saw you come in with your little one and I remember these days well. The days you just need a break. The days where it takes everything in you to keep going.” 

The woman reached out to hand me an Olive Garden gift card. “I just wanted to pay for your break today. And to let you know that until these days get easier, you can do this.” 

With a stunned expression of appreciation from me, the woman smiled and went back to her friends. 

My vision blurred as I sat there shocked and full of gratitude. I felt so seen by this complete stranger who gave me more of a gift that day than she realized. 

For the first time in a long time, I ate a meal I didn’t have to make. On dishes I didn’t have to wash. And thanks to this woman, that I didn’t even have to pay for. Holding my baby who was peacefully resting. 

I knew I would have to put her back in the car and probably stop another one or two times to get us home. I knew there were bottles to wash and laundry to do and work hours to complete waiting for me. I knew I would not get to sleep again that night because I would be up with my sweet girl. 

But for a few quiet minutes, none of that mattered. This stranger saw me. I knew God saw me. And I could do this.

Learn to give meaningful gifts like the stranger in my story with How to Think of the Perfect Gift Idea and How to Become Better at Gift Giving. 

Now go out there and gift joyfully!❤️