Sunday, December 7, 2014

Priceless Gifts

This is the season of gift-giving. So much time and energy are spent considering just the right gifts for those on our lists that I sometimes wonder how much we contemplate the everyday gifts that may not carry a price tag but have the greatest and most lasting value, gifts such as love, time, presence, patience, kindness, joy and friendship. I have been recovering from surgery for the past several weeks. I have spent a fair amount of time considering each of those so-called everyday gifts and just how much they mean to me: the calls, cards, emails and visits from family, friends and neighbors, a prayer shawl and a lap quilt made by loving hands for my healing naps, flowers to provide me cheer, delicious meals and food gifts to nourish our bodies, the presence and kindness of my husband who has assumed nearly all of our household duties and served as my chauffeur, the joy of fresh air after being cooped up inside, and the laughter, fun and good energy that come from being with others. These are the truly priceless gifts that have come into my life as of late, in addition to the amazing, but often overlooked gift of health. As I return to work this month and assume a few of the normal goings-on of the hectic holiday season, I have an ever-present appreciation for the many priceless gifts that have come to me this fall and for the many gifts that come to me every single day. Just as others have been gifts to me, I am looking at ways to turn my gratitude into action and share whatever gifts I may have with others. It's not so much a season of consumption or even questioning consumption for me so much as it is a season of experiencing and counting my blessings, seeing and appreciating miracles every day.