Brenna Martin's dad evidently doesn't like last-minute shopping. Bryan Martin purchased a gift for his daughter's high school graduation -- which happened earlier this month -- thirteen years ago. He managed to keep it hidden this whole time, and his "moving, touching, nostalgic, and thoughtful" present (her words) brought Brenna to tears when dad finally gave it to her last week.
(This story has been updated. Scroll down for new information.)
The gift -- a copy of "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" -- has a cash value of less than $20, but to Brenna, it was "truly priceless." That's because inside, threaded among the passages of Dr. Seuss's well-known rhymes, were comments and compliments from every adult who has taught Brenna at school, starting with her kindergarten teachers.
Brenna's reaction to the gift didn't stop with graduation-day tears. She was so moved by the book that she posted the story online and added a link on Reddit, where the gift has attracted plenty of attention, not least from parents-to-be and parents of young kids who say they plan to follow Brenna's dad's example. One parent even posted about starting a similar project earlier this year.
Dad joined the Reddit conversation too, writing, "I cannot believe Brenna posted this... she has always been the light of my life. Doing this was just a small way of letting her know."
If Brenna gets to work planning her own kids' graduation gifts right now, she might just have a fighting chance at outdoing her dad.
UPDATE: On July 9, Brenna and her parents went on the Today show to talk about the graduation gift -- and all the attention it's received since Brenna originally posted her story online.
Brenna's dad, Bryan, told Today that he got the idea for the present when he was an elementary school principal; a parent asked him and other teachers from his school to sign a copy of the same book, and "I thought, well wouldn't that be neat if you expand that and did it over the course of kindergarten to high school," he said.
Brenna said she was even recognized during her recent college orientation by a Redditor who'd read about the gift. Watch the full clip here:
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