I got a card in the mail last week but I didn’t open it. I added it to my pile of mail to go through later, thinking that I’d need a few minutes to read the enclosed holiday letter. I had no idea that I’d actually need a few minutes to pull myself together after bursting into tears.
The card said:
“Returning one of the nicest gifts a friend gave us during one of the hardest times we’ve had, and also one of the times we are most thankful for. There is no ‘should’ attached to this gift. Use [this gift card] however you want, be it for something you need, something you want, or a way to nurture your love language of gift giving. Know that we are thankful for you.”
Yesterday afternoon, sitting on the couch in my pajamas, doing little more than experiencing a day-long television marathon with my parents, I received one of the most meaningful gifts of my life. The gift card was very nice. I will use it and am grateful. But the words. The thoughts. The tangible expression of lasting friendship. The confirmation that my life and actions once made a difference in someone else’s life during a hard time. Those are the things that washed over me and pulled out speechless tears along the way.
The ironic thing? I have no recollection of sending the gift that my friend wrote about. I guess we really don’t know the difference our lives make when we simply seek to live them as outpourings of God’s love, hope, and grace…
And now to answer my questions of thankfulness:
What is one Thanksgiving leftover for which you are grateful? Field peas! I’m a big fan of field peas.
What is one game (board, card, dice, sport, computer, or logic) you really enjoy playing? I like word games: Scrabble, Boggle, Banagrams, Nab-It, etc. I also enjoy playing Mahjonng on the computer when I remember it exists.
What is one piece/type of furniture you are very grateful exists? I’ve thought about this a lot and I’m going to say the sofa. I suppose most recently I’ve been thankful for my sofa at the Lake Apartment and our sofa downstairs. I used my Lake Apartment sofa to sit on, eat on, and sleep on. It was pretty old but it had a really nice dip in the middle that was great for sleeping—not to mention the sofa’s position allowed me to overlook the lake. Our sofa downstairs currently looks pretty rough thanks to a big man, a little dog, and some kids; however, it’s really soft, fluffy, and comfortable—especially when I pop the button to make it recline!
What are some kitchen gadgets you are thankful exist? Upon pondering this question, I realize that the word “gadget” is difficult to define. The kitchen things I’m most thankful for seem to be either appliances (though small appliances) or cooking utensils. However, I really like using the egg slicer when we have boiled eggs, the melon ball scooper even though I don’t like melon, and the grippy thing you can use to open jars and bottles. I think the first two are fun and the last one is just practical .
Dear God,
For friendships that endure the tests of time,
For gifts that encourage us when we’re down.
For food and games that we enjoy,
For furniture and gadgets that remind us just how blessed we are.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Amen.
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