I love surprises! Good ones, anyway. I can live without flat tires, hidden bee hives in the gutter, and the hole in your shirt you don't discover until you're on your way to an important meeting, but good surprises are some of the best parts of life.

Earlier this week, my niece and nephews spent the night at my house. They are 13, 11, and almost 9, and though my niece seems to have reached the "roll your eyes at auntie ami's toys" stage, my nephews are still enamored of my collection. I spent some of my time convincing the almost 9-year-old that my FX light sabers that sit high atop my shelves aren't working correctly and couldn't be played with. I just left out the part about my nephew's being the reason that the Luke saber is in that condition.

Be that as it may, my 19-year-old son spent a good bit of time hanging with the boys, playing hockey, swimming, flaunting his video game skills, and digging out some of his own stuff for the boys to play with. That's when he found them. My surprises. My dear son handed me 6 long-forgotten action figures and two Lego creations of his, passed down his treasures from son to mother and pretty much made my day. Though the light sabers and one detachable Anakin limb are missing, I am now in the possession of Padawan Obi-wan, hot AOTC Obi-wan, an Imperial dude, Mace Windu making a face that must have come directly from the Geonosian arena, Anakin just after Dooku had his way with him in AOTC, a fine looking Darth Maul, old Lego Obi-wan on a speeder bike (must be an EU creation), and a dusty Lego Obi-wan in his jedi starfighter. Apparently my son loved Obi-wan and reveled in armless Anakin. I had forgotten about that.

What I will never forget is the hug my son gave me after he handed me his stash, knowing that it would make my day and make me smile. He knew that. My son...knew.

My relatively small SW collection, like most of my "stuff" from my various fandoms, is about so much more than the toys they are. These things are like the pictures I hang on my walls and place where I can see them and the notes from the people I love and ticket stubs from special events I keep. My Minnie Mouse ears from Disney World remind me of a trip there I took with the band and the time for play I made with two good friends. The Optimus Prime whose bobbly head nods at me as I type makes me smile for the beautiful and true friend who gave him to me. My Optimus Prime keychain hangs from my rearview mirror because it reminds me of someone I love very much. My sparkly stuffed jellyfish takes me back to the weekend I flew to Boston with my youngest for an adventure to visit my #2 daughter. My Lost DVD, Linus picture, stuffed lamb, Bella bookmark, red writing journal, Bee-otch air freshener, Pittsburgh Penguins charm...and my SW stuff...all remind me that there are people in this world who know how to reach out and touch those around them, who have touched me in indescribable ways.

I've always known that my son is an incredibly sensitive and loving young man. Now I have Darth Maul to prove it.