Gifts Worth Giving

Gifts Worth Giving

There’s something about the look on someone’s face when they have received a gift that really hits home. Their eyes go bright and maybe even a bit teary. They take in one of those cleansing breaths, like they have been waiting to inhale all their lives. It takes a moment for them to come out of their euphoria enough to reacquaint themselves with words. When they try to speak, it may come out in a number of different ways, which eventually can be translated as the never-enough “thank you”. This is usually followed up with questions like “how did you know?” and “where did you find something like this?”.

I like giving gifts like that - not for the “thank you”, but for the temporary translation to a heavenly bliss part. I don’t just grab stuff off a shelf and say, “good enough”. No - I dig deep and try to find the core of a person - their motivations and passions. I go for the gut, their heart, their most precious memories or experiences - and translate them into commemorative pieces they can hold onto just a little longer.

There was the year when so many things changed for my family - marriages, babies, jobs, other milestones - so many experiences to choose from. My family was there for each other through all of them and that is what I focused on when I visited www.vistaprint.com. I already frequented there while trying to get my ministry off the ground, so I knew they had more than just business cards. I bypassed key chains and magnets, bags and hats to select custom-made t-shirts originally made for team-building. Each male in the family got a custom-made shirt with a picture of their select family on the front and “family man” in big, bold letters. Years later, those shirts are their treasured possessions.

For my friends who are more like family, I went for the inspiration that creates the tie that binds us together. As an up and coming author, Anita Mckaney is insightful and genuine in her publications. Luckily for me, she makes the most beautiful devotional books that you can write in to make them your very own. They say the best recipes are the ones you make yourself. Well, Anita provides all the ingredients to combine with your own experiences, perspectives and lens to create an unexpected, delectable morsel of wisdom every day. She adds a pinch of wisdom and a dash of practicality to produce a masterpiece. I find her using Google’s search engine just in case she’s come out with something new I haven’t seen yet (like this year’s Anointed Devotions...Volume 2!). I can also go to www.wifestyleimagenetwork.net because to add frosting to this tasty treat, she can sing! I take advantage of everything, wrap it in a bow and watch the magic as my besties unwrap.

This year, a very special person has been added on to the family tree. I have a new baby niece. In our family, we celebrate by praying over the baby and blessing them while we hold them in our arms one by one. As you can imagine, no one has held my new niece except for immediate family. As my arms ache to hold her and bless her, I remember one more tradition that nothing can stop - the baby’s song. I can’t say who started this in our family, but in African cultures, it is said that a person’s song follows them all their life - pronouncing over them character traits the parents wish to cultivate as they grow. With every niece and nephew I have, there has been a song. Sure enough, everyone in the family circle knows at least a portion of their song and when it is time to reminisce about their birth, the song is sung. Sometimes on birthdays, sometimes at graduations, sometimes around the game table - the song will be sung. If ever the children are out of line, the song is there to remind them of the honorable character traits expected by their parents. The gravity of their song brings them back to themselves and gives them an opportunity to adjust and create a new path for themselves. If we listen very carefully through the jingle bells, as the snow falls this Christmas Eve, you may hear my sister, singing to my niece her brand new song. Some things don’t have to be bought. They are given from the heart and last a lifetime through.