Sunday, August 9, 2009

And I Thank You

One of the most amazing gifts I got one year for my birthday was simple. A book. Yes I know to someone who loves to read that’s a great gift and to those who don’t it’s lame, but there was something much better about it than either of those. The book represented something more than just what I love to do. It was from the heart of someone who was walking with more wisdom than I could muster at the time.

I compare it like getting a quilt on a cold winter night. The quilt is great, but the quilt is much better and brings more comfort when your grandmother made it especially for you.

The sad thing about this story is the fact that it was a gift I didn’t appreciate until much later down the road. It became a cherished gift when my maturity advanced a little more. I realized the gift that this wonderful, amazing woman gave me was insight that I could only dream of in my life. The more that I read the book the more I realized what it is she was actually giving me.

I, through the past three years, have tried to pick the book up and read it but just wasn’t ready to face it or hear it. I read the inscription she wrote in the front many times and in all honesty it didn’t hit me till recently the joy that the inscription and the knowledge inside brought me.

As you know this made me think of the many things and gifts we take for granted. A photo of an old friend that is gone, a recipe from a grandmother, a ring from a friend. All of these bear much more value because they came from people we care about, and whether you know it or not these gifts at different times in your life may become much more than sentimental value. Through tough times that ring a friend gave you may remind you of something that makes you think first and act second, or that recipe may actually help to bring a smile and a bit of joy to your family later down the line. It just reminds me that some gifts have longer lasting values to our hearts and souls than we realize. Those keep sakes that we pass on to kids and friends when we leave this world can last lifetimes. So o that beautiful wonderful woman I say thank you, thank-you for what I did not realize at the time was such an amazing gift to me. It moved me and helped me to live out Christ much more and much better than I could fathom. You helped stir something that killed the contentment in me and for that I’m grateful and honored to be the recipient of such a great gift and thanks for unknowingly not letting me fall by the wayside three years later and living a wasted life.

For you I ask this: what gifts have you overlooked and found joy in later? What gifts stir your hearts in memories and joy that you may not have had before? Helped you through a tough time or brought you closer to someone?

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