BECK, from Page 20

going to the ballpark with my sons!”

“My kids live across the country,

but they got me a phone card so I can

call whenever I want to and not worry about the cost.”

“They got me a movie service: Turn on your TV, and watch almost any movie you want to. Sometimes, they even bring me dinner and watch the movie with me.”

“My kids are struggling a bit, and I don’t want them to spend a lot of money on me. My favorite gift is when one of them comes by and plays a game of Scrabble with me.”

“Museum membership. I can go whenever I want to and take as long as I want to.”

“I don’t know how, but my daughter made me a book with all kinds of pictures from my past. It reminds me of all the blessings I have had and continue

to have.”

“My friend takes me for coffee and

a doughnut every Thursday. It’s health

food if you eat it with someone you

like!”

“Last year, I opened a box from my

daughter. Inside, there was a jar full of pieces of paper. I opened the jar and picked one out. It said, ‘Mom, I remember baking sugar cookies with you at Christmas and you letting me lick the frosting bowl.’ The whole jar was full of her memories of our time together.”

“It wasn’t a formal gift or anything, but my neighbor takes me to church almost every Sunday.”

“I love the magazine subscription I got last year. It gives me something to look forward to each month.”

“I used to be a science teacher, and my kids got me a university course on CD about quantum physics. Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you can’t

learn.”

“I love the blanket I got last year. It

keeps me warm on even the coldest

nights.”

“I have everything I could ever want, but it means a lot to me when people fund my causes. Send me a card and give some money to the local food bank — that’s my kind of gift.”

“My grandkids all sing. The best gift is them singing carols to me on Christmas Eve.”

Happy gift giving!

MARLA BECK is the founder and president of Andelcare Inc., which provides in-home eldercare. The U. S. Small Business Administration has awarded Marla Beck recognition as Washington’s 2012 Small Business Person of the Year. Submit questions by calling (206) 838-1844 or via e-mail to