Long walk part of gift
MANY YEARS AGO when my brother, sister and I still lived at home – we would always open grandpas box on Christmas Eve. That’s only after lots of begging to ‘please let us open one present.’ It soon turned into a tradition, opening something small on Christmas eve.
Well, Grandpas box always had Grandmas “teeth-breaking-fat-peanut-brittle” and misshapen coconut rum balls – both in round holiday tins. Presents for the kids were usually not what was hugely popular for us – clothes or something.
And he always gave us a subscription to Guideposts, a Christian inspirational magazine. I think it’s bigger now, but I remember it as being more like a small newsletter about the dimensions of Readers Digest. I never read it but there was always a heartwarming story on the back page and that was all that interested me.
There was one that we loved and my mom and I never forgot. We call it the “Long walk part of gift” story. We still use the phrase today when we want the other to know that the effort behind something was actually part of the gift.
I did a search on the internet and found part of the story. It seemed longer, who knows – but here is the story:
THE AFRICAN BOY LISTENED carefully as the teacher explained why it is that Christians give presents to each other on Christmas Day.
“The gift is an expression of our joy at the promise of peace on earth, and of our friendship for one another,” she said.
When Christmas Day came, the boy wanted to give the teacher a gift. All the other boys had fathers to help them make a present but this little boy had no father and no money to buy anything to make a gift with. So he walked 7 miles (one way) to a beach, where he knew the rare shells were found. He brought the teacher a sea shell of lustrous beauty.
“Where did you ever find such a beautiful shell?” the teacher asked as she gently fingered the gift.
The boy told her that there was only one spot where such extraordinary shells could be found. When he named the place, a certain bay several miles away, the teacher was left speechless.
“Why … why, it’s gorgeous … wonderful, but you shouldn’t have gone all that way to get a gift for me.”
His eyes brightening, the boy answered, “Long walk part of gift.”
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It warms my heart to think of my grandparents shopping for our gifts, making goodies, finding a big box, packing it and getting to the post off to mail it – wow – long walk part of gift there!
So, good lesson – this year when everyone is spending less – do something for someone as part of their gift. Make something with your hands, make coupons good for cleaning your moms house, for grocery shopping for your grandma, for babysitting for a stressed out friend.
Merry Christmas!
love,
Jules
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