Unexpected Gifts

The Gift of Presence

I remember when we use to visit my grandparents’ home. In the winter, we would gather around the fireplace in the living room, play dominoes and do puzzles.

In the summer, we would barbeque, play croquet and Frisbee, laugh and have a good time. It wasn’t what we did that made the memories, but the unexpected joy of being together.

Calling Forth Inner Gifts – Painting

Recognizing something in someone – my youngest daughter has a creative bent which was expressed through painting with water color pencils on typing paper or canvas paper.

One Christmas, her brothers gave her paints and blank canvases of various sizes. Another year, her sister gave her modeling clay that she formed into miniature figures, baked and painted. She thoroughly enjoyed making lady bugs, bouquet of roses, mini-foods, etc.

Still another Christmas, her siblings gave her nail polish. Painting nails brought all the creative influences together. She attended cosmetology school and is now a nail technician. She considers painting nails is similar to painting miniature canvases and has lots of fun with it.

Calling Forth Inner Gifts – Photography

We gave all of our children the little instamatic cameras as a birthday gift so they could “take their own pictures” and have them developed. All the children thoroughly enjoyed this little five dollar gift! (This is before digital cameras!)

One son, enjoyed taking pictures so much, he saved his money and bought a “real” point-and-shoot camera. Eventually, he purchased a DSLR and took an online photography course. This blossomed into his work now in photography and videography.

Unexpected Blessings

Unexpected blessings are when someone does something that touches the depths of our heart. It usually doesn’t require money, but it does require our heart, thoughtfulness and time.

Birthday Blessings

On my fortieth birthday, my husband had friends of mine through the years – from childhood, college years, young married to current (and from the various states we had lived in) – all write a birthday blessing, scripture, note or poem. The words of encouragement were a huge blessing to me then, and are still a blessing to me even today.

Anniversary Blessings

One year, our children gathered video prayers and blessings from our friends and put it into a video presentation. This was truly an unexpected blessing! What a joy to hear from friends who lived all over the world. And then to be blessed and prayed for by them – amazing and touching!

Unexpected Treasures

Family and Friends are our unexpected treasures. Proverbs says, “A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity.”¹ Family and friends are there to rejoice and cry with us; to celebrate and fight through challenges together; through thick and thin – they stand by our side.

Ecclesiastes says, “Two are better than one because they have a more satisfying return for their labor; for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and does not have another to lift him up.”²

Our family is a priceless treasure. No, they are not perfect, but they are family and we have shared precious memories together. For many years, my grandmother’s side of the family had yearly family reunions. We had a great time visiting, eating, swimming, playing games and looking at pictures together.

As we age, let us be the ones to draw the younger family members together. Let’s share our family heritage with the next generation.

Recommendation:

How to Ease into Deeper Relationships How to Ease into Deeper Relationships – Strength with Dignity

References:

¹ Proverbs 17:17 WEB

² Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 AMP

Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

World English Bible (WEB) by Public Domain. The name “World English Bible” is trademarked.

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