Dear Queenie,
My mother likes to shop at yard sales and charity fundraisers and then she gives the things she buys to her family as birthday and Christmas presents. The thing is, they are all used and often don’t work well or are even broken, and the clothes are often torn or stained.
Queenie, what’s the point of giving a gift that is really just junk?—Fed up
Dear Fed up,
Did you ever hear the saying, “It is the thought that counts”? Be glad your mother remembers the occasions and thinks of you. You might also take some pride in the fact that she apparently wants to contribute in some small way to the charities from which she buys all this “junk”. And remember that any gift, however unwanted, warrants a “thank you” from the recipient.
That said, if you do not want whatever she has given you, fell free to pass it on to some person in need or another charity for their fundraising sale, or to just throw it away.
