"Of all the dear sights in the world, nothing is so beautiful as a child when it is giving something. Any small thing it gives.
A child gives the world to you. It opens the world to you as if it were a book you'd never been able to read. But when a gift must be found, it is always some absurd little thing, pasted on crooked.... an angel looking like a clown. A child has so little that it can give, because it never knows it has given you everything." ~ Margaret Lee Runbeck Bits & Pieces, 9/20/90
As every wise child knows, the gift of yourself is the most precious gift of all. And at a time when "stuff" accumulation seems to exceed "stuff" storage capacity, how about considering the gift of your time, of your heart?
I greatly regret not sitting down with my family and writing more of their oral histories. Now that they are in heaven, their wealth of stories are gone. In this blessed time of computer accessibility, how easy it would be to spend a day just documenting a story, a quotation, a digital picture. So easy to capture.
A small moment.
...I wish I asked my Mother so many things. Like, exactly why she chose red as the color of her tree ornament collection. I have an idea--that she loved the color--but I wish I had her words, her explanation.
If I could, I'd ask my Dad what was his favorite Christmas and what was the favorite gift he received. I know he loved Christmas. I can remember him singing caroles along with Dean Martin with such passionate abandon. (I wish I had a photo of Dad's face mid-chorus.)
I'd ask my Grandma Dorothy why she first started to crochet, what was the first piece she made, and what did she do with it. I'd ask Grandma Emily what was the secret ingredient that made her meatloaf taste so delicious. I'd ask Grandpa Reynolds if it was a coincidence that he bought a new car and gave me his "old" one within weeks of my getting my driver's license...
Questions. I seem to have lots of questions. Do YOU? This year, take the time to preserve a memory forever.
Can you think of a better gift?
Such as you are, a precious gift.