A surprise gift

This morning, after Beth hung up her coat and backpack on her hook at school, she ran up to her teacher and happily announced, "Ms. Terry, I brought you a surprise!"

She had never mentioned this surprise to me, so I stopped for a brief moment before leaving, to find out what Beth could possibly be planning to give to her teacher. She didn't appear to be holding anything at all.

Beth opened her little fist, and handed a small seashell to her teacher. "I found it! And I brought it for you!"

Her teacher was thrilled with this small remembrance of summer, on such a frigid and gray winter day. She asked Beth where exactly she had found the shell. I'm sure she was assuming that Beth would describe a long, winter's walk on a beach somewhere, but I had a good guess where Beth had discovered this gift.

"I found it in the car!" Beth proudly announced. "It was in the cupholder, mixed in with all the sand. It's been there since last summer. Last summer I found it on the beach when we went to visit Grandma and Pop!"

And now even Beth's teacher knows our secret. The car has apparently not been cleaned since last summer, and everything from fallen leaves to summer seashells have found resting spots within our vehicle. One never knows what treasures may lurk in cupholders or ashtrays, under seats and on the floor.

And now, can you guess what is on my "to-do" list for this weekend?