The brief but fun saga of the colorful bag I got Maria to hold her things didn’t last long, but it was great fun and quite revealing.

I knew it was dicey when I bought it for her – she does not ever buy new clothing for herself  – I thought it looked different and distinctive. She loved the colors but wasn’t crazy about the design.

She tried to re-fashion it in her own image and was coming, to the surprise of both of us, to love it. It was different, she said, and she loved the colors.

She took it to the movies, and when we got there, she realized the compartment was too small to hold the car keys, wallet, and Iphone. We looked at each other and shook our heads at the same time. This wasn’t going to work. I said it first, since I bought it.

When we got home, she realized that a refugee child we help get to a private school send her a beautiful Karen bag used in Myanmar before the genocide. The student made it for Maria on the day of her school graduation and sent it to me.

Maria loved it and put it away. In the crush of things, we forgot about it. When we got home, she took it out of her close,t and we both knew right away this was the right bag for her. The other one is headed to Good Will.

I’ve got an excellent record of buying Maria the few retail clothes and shoes she wears. I came close this time but missed the mark. I was amazed watching Maria re-fashion it and get rid of some tacky things.

But there is no question that this is the right bag for her. It was a gift from a child we loved and helped; it was roomy and reminded us of the courage and culture of the Karen people, driven out of their homes and their country by an Army coup.

This bag has significant meaning for her. The other one didn’t have any.

This is a happy story that ended very well. It’s amazing how things turned around for the better of allowed.

Up to now I was batting 100 in my choices of gift clothing or other wear for Maria.  It was a great streak, it had to end.