Lovely, complicated wrappings
Sheath the gift of one-day-more;
Breathless, I untie the package –
Never lived this day before.
~ Gloria Gaither
When I was a child, I used to count the number of presents I received on Christmas morning… including whatever was in my stocking. This was in part to measure how good I’d been, but mainly it was to make sure my brother didn’t get more presents than me.
The opening verse by Gloria Gaither was sent to me by a woman in Michigan who shares weekly “Food for Thought” e-mails with a group of friends. When I read her e-mail this week, my first response was gratitude to have matured past that stage of looking for love under wrappings, ribbons and bows!
Upon deeper reflection, what this verse brought to me was a renewed sense of wonder, as well as a reminder that the daily gift is frequently hidden under “lovely, complicated wrappings.” Some days, the wrappings look like they’re made of junk mail, bills and to-do lists!
And under those wrappings are gifts of love, friendship, family and the opportunity of a new day. There is a gift – some may call it the silver lining, bright side, lemonade – in every situation. We may have to unwrap a few more layers than usual, or get out the box cutter to get at what’s inside… and the present is always there, every day of the year. And the number of gifts? Too many to count.
May your holidays be full of warmth, joy and peace.
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