Gifts come in so many forms, shapes and sizes.
Sometimes they are surprises, never to be expected.
Sometimes they are the most cherished of smiles.....
....or a person you spend time with.
Sometimes it is words you've heard spoken before, but which you might hear with new ears.... only to feel those words more deeply in your heart than ever before.
All of the gifts that mean so much to me, point me simply to thankfulness of God Himself, the greatest gift giver of all and the greatest gift of all, Himself come down as the stable born king. This gift received today points me to the same direction.
It was such a simple gift....yet one of the most special so far this season.
I received the gift of time with my mom.
Just she and I sitting quietly in her room on this Sunday afternoon, conversing like we always have over the years.
We looked at her Christmas tree the boys decorated for her.
I turned on the tree lights. She just loves those.
I relish these times with my mom, when it's just she and I. I don't always get my "Moma time" alone these days.
We had the best talk.
She was so happy and well rested.
She asked me about me and was interested in everything about my life.
She wanted to hear all the details.....especially about "her boys" and Mike, and I was able to share with her.
I just love that she is my mom and we still have these mother-daughter conversations.
As I was tidying up her nightstand and offering her, her glasses, I noticed an envelope. It had Mike's and my name on the front. I opened it up thinking it might be something from the nursing staff.
Inside I found a Christmas card.
It was not from the staff after all. It was from her.
My mouth fell open and I just cried a little cry, "Oh Mom! Thank you!!"
"It's your Christmas card", she said. She signed it "Moma", just like she always does.
My mom doesn't have any Christmas cards in her room. I had not brought any to her yet for us to write together. So I don't know where she got this one to write in, unless it was an activity that they were doing as a group one day recently. To think if this was the case and she thought of writing a card to Mike and I..... such a thoughtful gesture. Of course in the past she wrote cards to all of those she loved. And today if medical circumstances were different, she wouldn't think twice of sending a card to someone to tell them she was thinking of them. This is my mom. She is so very thoughtful like that.
I have accepted the fact that I will not receive any more cards, or written sentiments of any kind from my folks because of their health issues and memory impairment. I have so many sweet cards from the past. I'm finding out I'm so much like my mom. She keeps her cards too. Just the fact that my parents are still in my life is the gift in itself to me.
So this little unexpected gift just made my day.....
Those words I've heard so often..... "With love, Moma" meant even more today because she wrote them this Christmas season.
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