Good Gifting

I love presents!!! I love to buy them; I love to receive them.


Unexpected ones are the best, but I don't knock the birthday and Christmas offerings. Unfortunately for Sparta, some of his gift attempts have been less than warmly received; e.g.- the sandwich maker(Christmas), vacuum cleaner (which he claims was not a gift but was somehow given to me on my 40th birthday), or the light up 10x magnifying mirror (Valentine's Day). I exchanged the sandwich maker for a pretty red vase and as for the other two ,well, let's just not talk about them.


When choosing a special something for someone, I tend to try and think of the individual's personality, as well as interests and hobbies of the recipient. I do not enjoy vacuuming or seeing the chin whiskers up close and personal. By no stretch of the imagination could I comprehend the thought process that brought Sparta to his purchases.


After what I considered several less than stellar gifts from my hubby, I took to giving not so subtle hints. I would make lists out with items from which he could choose. One of my lists suggested jewelry. Bless his heart, he said he didn't have money to buy me something so pricey. He had never heard of costume jewelry.


Now to brag on him, Sparta has hit a few home runs when it comes to picking things. When our oldest daughter was born, he brought a pair of diamond earrings to the hospital (unexpected); he gave me an amethyst and diamond ring when our second daughter was born (unexpected); there were ballroom dance lessons because he noticed I liked to watch Dancing With the Stars(unexpected) . It seems that when he is able to choose to give a gift out of a desire to give rather than some arbitrary obligation to give, I am always delighted with his choices.


I've recently been thinking of the gifts I wish God had given to me. The ones that might be obvious-musical talents, artistic abilities, or lots of money to support causes. I am guessing He knew I would not use them appropriately. I see myself more as a Madonna the entertainer rather than Madonna the mother of Jesus type. That I have been given this very breath is a gift not to be taken for granted and yet I know that I have not been grateful to the one who allowed it. My prayer is that I recognize not only ordinary gifts but also the unexpected ones; all with the knowledge that THE giver of good and perfect gifts knows what I need most.