Gifts Given With Love

In my life I have been given many gifts.  Some are material, some emotional, some the giver had no idea he or she was bestowing.  Some I will treasure always.  They are in my heart, or in a box of mementos.  Some I have forgotten, only to come across them unexpectedly and remember the circumstances surrounding them.

The ones I cherish most are not usually the obligatory gifts of holidays.  Yes, they are lovely, given graciously and with love.  They were chosen with thoughtfulness, not grab-and-go, not the generic gifts you keep on hand at Christmas time for the pop-in company.  The best gifts are the bottle of grainy mustard, the invitation to lunch, the black pants, a piece of jewelry or unexpected praise.  They are freely provided, without expectation of anything in return.

Last Christmas, I got a surprise from my youngest step-grandson, age four.  It was his own idea, all in a fancy gift bag. There was candy from his own stocking, and a piece of rope.  Puzzled, I thanked him.  Rope? I queried.  It's to tie up the monsters so they can't hurt you, he said.  Talk about a tear-jerking moment.

I received a really ugly cow from a friend who knew I was looking for a bull to compliment my then-Spanish decor.  Did I say ugly?  I meant grotesque.  I still have it.  I think about Liz and laugh whenever I see it.

There is the notebook where I jot down compliments and fuzzy moments so I can read them when I am feeling down.  There is the yearbook I still can't find with notes from my friends.  There is the letter I wrote to Linda at summer camp when I was fourteen that she just gave to me.  There are the pictures--too few--that Mom pasted in a album for me.  There are stuffed animals. books and a penny--all with special memories of a person, a time, a place.  There is the corsage with silver ribbon and the pearls I will always cherish.

The gifts that mean the most were gifts of love and friendship. They are not just physical.  They are the phone call, email, text message  or card to say hello.  They are the flea-market trifle, the invitation to a bonfire or to go shopping or to watch the storm brew over the lake. Saying yes to coffee or lunch-on-the-run, a walk in the park or a conversation about world events can mean more than the most expensive trinket.

 I am watching a youngish woman with three small boys in tow.  She is flustered, her voice getting louder.  They want things she can't afford.   One of the boys, maybe four, picks up something from the parking lot--I think it is a penny.  "I found this, Mommy.  You can have it if you need it," he says.  She stops her ranting, picks him up and kisses him, then kneels to gather the other boys to her.  She is crying, she is smiling.  She knows she has been given a great gift.

The smallest word, the jar of mustard, the beaded necklace, the piece of rope, the penny from the parking lot, the letter at Christmas, unexpected coffee at Starbucks--cherish these.

And the last word...on this Easter Sunday, I believe we have been given the greatest gift, that of salvation and eternal life.  Accept it, hold it close to your heart.  Happy Easter, my friends.