Pay It Forward with Post Surgery Gift Ideas from Family Christian #FCBlogger

**A huge thanks to Family Christian for sponsoring today's post and giving me the chance to pay it forward!

"If you were given $50 to spend at Family Christian, how would you use it to pay it forward?"

It's no secret by now, that I absolutely love being a Family Christian blogger and sharing such a wonderful company with all of you. Questions like the one above are just the reason why. This is a company that truly is all about giving back and paying it forward. I love that.

When us bloggers were most recently asked the question above, I knew just the right person I wanted to pay it forward to: my mom!

I know that everyone says that their mom is the best mom there is, but my mom truly is! She is such a kind and caring person, willing to give whatever she can to help others and asking back nothing in return. She is strong, she has an outstanding faith and she truly is just the perfect example of the kind of woman that I aspire to be. She truly deserves something special for no reason at all.

But this time, there was a reason I chose her. On December 29th, my mom will be having surgery. The what and the why are not important, and not mine to share, but depending on how the surgery goes she will be recovering from several days to several weeks, so I wanted to create a fun post-surgery gift bag just for her. To remind her how much she is loved and to show her some of that kindness that she shows to others.

Now, when most think of post surgery gift baskets, we tend to think about more logical things- restaurant gift cards, maybe some comfortable clothing or freezer meals too. But instead of all that, I decided to focus on gifts that would make her recovery a little less boring:


Post Surgery Beat the Boredom Gift Ideas

• A Devotional. My love of books comes from my mom, so I knew that I wanted to include a book or two, but I was a little nervous of finding one she'd like and didn't have. I knew that she liked Amish fiction, but I'm not a huge fan, so I wasn't sure what was good and what wasn't.  So, instead of going with a fictional novel, I decided on a devotional that I have and love myself: 5 Minutes with Jesus. I loved that this is a devotional that she can do each day that won't take up a ton of time, so that when she's back on her feet she has plenty of time to continue.
  
  
  
• Coloring Books. I've already shared my own personal love of adult coloring books, so I was thrilled to learn that my mom enjoyed them too. These truly are a great way to unwind and pass the time. I especially love those that have a Christian theme... not only do they have the calming effects of coloring, but they have that added benefit that they allow your to focus your attention on God as you color as well. I knew my mom would appreciate these too. So, I started with one of my own personal favorites Today Is Going To Be A Great Day. With a title like that, I knew it would be perfect to raise her spirits...but mostly it's also just really beautiful!! I also thought she would really enjoy Color Your Blessings, so we added that to the bag too! (If you're creating a post surgery gift basket for someone who has not yet started coloring, you might want to include some colored pencils as well. I knew that my mom already had some, so for her it wasn't needed!)
  
  
  

Deciding on these products was really easy, but I knew I wanted to give her a little something else to round it out. Again, I contemplated more books, but I wasn't sure where to begin. Then I thought about a nice blanket so that she could relax comfortably, but I knew she already had many great blankets that she already loved. I thought about music but wasn't sure what she had.  After much thought, I came up with the perfect solution. Something that she could enjoy without any effort at all!

• DVDs. As I was wandering around my local store, trying to find the perfect finishing touch, I came across some Little House on the Prairie DVDs! I knew my mom was a fan of the show, and didn't already have them, so I grabbed her a couple of seasons to enjoy. This would give her something to focus on if/when she wasn't up to reading or coloring, but just needed to lay down and relax! Movies are a great option too of course, but I find when you really have a ton of time to kill, television shows truly are the way to go!
  
  
  

This post surgery gift is of course catered directly to my mom and her interests, but if there is someone in your life who you would like to bless with a similar gift to help their recovery, it can easily be tailored to anyone's needs. Replace the devotional with another that's more suited to their taste or surprise them with some books from their favorite writers. Not into coloring? Maybe a Bible journal or a Bible study might be better suited. Customize the DVD choice to fit their individual tastes! Or even throw in some more fun stuff like nail polishes, scarves or comfortable sweaters.

All of the products seen above and many more are available at Family Christian. Stop by your local store or shop online today!

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Do you have a loved one preparing for surgery soon? What other gift ideas would you add to this list? In what other ways do YOU pay it forward?