THE
BIRTHDAY OF A KING MIDI
A Gift From The Heart
When I was 14 years old (same
age as my daughter is today), my Mom and I didn't have money for a Christmas
dinner, much less gifts. I knew she was sad about it and I was determined
we wouldn't let it get us down. Homemade gifts are nice but I wasn't very
imaginative and too broke for supplies. I decided to give my Mom something
I treasured myself -- the one nice piece of jewelry I owned, a gold cross
necklace. I cleaned it, made sure there were no knots in the chain
and wrapped it in the prettiest paper I could find. I was so excited, I
couldn't wait for her to open it.
Single moms have it hard (as
I know first hand now) and I really
wanted to see her smile. We
always opened our gifts on Christmas Eve night and that afternoon, I could
wait no longer.
I asked if we could "have
Christmas" early. I anticipated that
Christmas more than when I
knew I was getting a lot of nice gifts. I
didn't expect to get anything
that year. It was about giving.
I handed her the little box,
hugged and kissed her and wished her a Merry Christmas. I waited anxiously
for her to open it but she just sat there with the box in her hands and
looked at it.
I remember the look on Mom's
face was a mixture of sadness and
serenity. She knew her greatest
gift to me was her love. After what seemed a long time, she looked at me
and said, "I have something for you too."
She reached into her pocket,
pulled out another small box, placed it in my hands, and told me although
it was not much, it was filled with love.
I was quite curious and little
scared. I knew money was tight and
hoped Mom hadn't spent money
on something we couldn't afford.
There was a little velvet
box inside and when I lifted the lid, there
was a tiny ring with a diamond
chip in the center. In a note, she told me the ring was 23 years old, she
hoped it brought me good luck... and "I love you."
I got a huge lump in my throat
and looked at her. She smiled and told me it had been her wedding band
from my dad. It was now mine. I slipped it on my finger and hugged my Mom.
She opened my gift and when
she saw the necklace, big tears filled her eyes. She asked me to put it
on her. She held the necklace and told me she thought it was our best Christmas
ever. I could only nod my head in agreement.
This Christmas, I give thanks
for Mom and treasure every memory we shared. You see, my Mom has
advanced Alzheimer's disease and no longer knows me. But I look at "our"
ring and remember her gentle, wise spirit and give thanks God blessed me
with her.
But that's not the end
of the story.
Our home was burglarized four
years ago. One of the items stolen was that little ring. I had left all
my jewelry at home for safekeeping because it was Memorial Day weekend
and I was going to the lake. I was totally heart broken when I found out
the ring was gone. Of course, so were her diamond rings, my wedding band,
engagement ring, etc., but it was THAT ring I grieved for the most.
I wrote a letter to our local
paper and begged whoever stole it to
"PLEASE return it by mail
anonymously."
A few weeks went by with no
response and then one day a police
detective showed up at my
door. He held out a Kleenex and asked me to identify the item inside.
It was my ring! I have never
found out where or how he got it but it
remains on my finger to this
day.
So as we all go through the
holidays, let us remember it's what we
give from the heart that holds
the most value.
~Author Unknown To Me ~
 
 
 
 
Background Sets copyright ©1999-2001
Our God Reigns Ministries, Rev. Janette Stewart
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