Gifting

It's not often that I am moved by a gift. I love getting gifts. I love surprises. I love to look at a wrapped gift, imagine what may be waiting beneath the veil, slowly take out the tissue paper, feel the weight of what is inside, and finally unwrap it.

The last time I cried after receiving a gift was my 26th birthday. Beau had arranged for my sister and my parents to meet the two of us for dessert at a favorite restaurant. My sister babysat the kids while Beau and I had dinner, she dressed the kids, loaded them up in the car, and drove them to the restaurant. Then, she handed me a gift.

I opened it. It was a Roomba Scooba. My eyes welled up and my throat constricted. I felt silly sitting there, holding a floor-washing-device in the middle of a restaurant, ready to cry. But it wasn't the Roomba Scooba per se; it was the knowledge that my sister had listened to my random rambling one day. She sacrificed a good bit of her money to buy the thing. She had taken care of my children for me. I was so very grateful for her at that moment.

I felt that way again tonight. We were able to share dinner with a dear family. They have become solid friends of ours, and we are so grateful for them. Their eldest son is planning his wedding with a precious gem of a girl, and we shared stories and laughter tonight over dinner. And then I got this gift. I almost started crying. For a candle? It wasn't just the candle...it was the fact that my two girlfriends, mother and daughter, equally dear to me, scoured Goodwill for a perfectly special teacup ( I love tea) and then handmade and hand-poured a purple (I love purple) candle (I love candles) into that teacup. The particular spot in time was so sweet to me. And though I try to keep excessive sentimentality far from me, I don't mind sharing these thoughts with you. I am sure there are moments in your life that have affected you the same way.