Unwanted christmas gift brings lessons, joy

It was early December, 1999. We had gone down to visit our families in Madison and Middleton. We were visiting our son Rob and sitting in his living room, when he said 'Mom, if you go down into the basement and look around you will see your Christmas present.'

He didn't have to tell me twice, I hurried downstairs and began snooping around. It was just like the Christmas season when I was a child, I began looking in the closets, under the bed, any place I might find my present. It not only was elusive, there wasn't anything that might resemble a Christmas present. I was quite dejected.

Rob said "You really disappoint me mom, I thought for sure you would spot it right away, you will just have to wait 'til Christmas." He wasn't half as disappointed as I was.

We spent Christmas at daughter Susie' s in Middleton that year and all of the family was there.

There it was in all of it's splendor, a huge box all wrapped up sitting under the tree with my name on it. What could it be, I had visions of all sorts of things it might be, I could hardly wait to open it.

Finally it was placed in front of me and I began to tear off the paper in wild abandon. I peeked down inside and what I saw was a computer. A computer? The last thing in the world I wanted was a computer. I very politely said thank you. But I was thinking to myself, this is the worst Christmas present I have ever gotten. Talk about being ungrateful.

I could type, in fact over the years, I have had several jobs where I had to type, I just wasn't interested in a computer.. Even though most of my friends had computers and talked about 'doing' email, sending jokes, forwards and using the internet, it sure wasn't my cup of tea..

Rob works in computers, and he was upgrading his, and decided to give me his old one and the printer. He said the next time he came up to visit, he would bring it and hook it up.

A couple of weeks later, he came up and got it all hooked up, he stayed over the weekend and gave me a crash course in using a computer. I listened very politely, but it sounded like Greek to me, and it went in one ear and out the other. He said "You can call me in the evenings if you have any problems, and I will try and walk you through it."

I thought the least I could do was give it a try ... It wasn't any time at all, that it was so goofed up, I couldn't do anything.

So in the evening I called him, one of many, many calls over the next three weeks. He had the patience of a Saint. It got to be routine, I called him every evening with my tale of woe. I don't know who was more stressed out, Rob or me.

During the day I would call our technical support number, and it wasn't long before we were on a first name basis. I am sure they would toss a coin to see who would have to take my call. I also called all of my friends who had computers and am sure I drove them crazy too.

After about three weeks, it all just seemed to fall into place, and I thought to myself, maybe this isn't so bad after all. I spend many wonderful hours at my computer, in fact I am on my second computer and second printer.

I now think it is the best Christmas present I have ever received and don't know what I would do without it. It is a wonderful hobby and I do all of my columns on it.

I almost forgot, when I went down into Rob's basement that day, the computer was sitting on a coffee table, right under my nose, never dreaming in a million years that it was my Christmas present.