If you celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas! We celebrate big at our house. This year, we had the privilege of introducing our new eight-year-old grandaughter-in-love to a large group of extended family relatives.
Outside of school, our granddaughter hasn't been around many people besides her mom. As a result, she has almost no experience receiving gifts from people who don't know what she loves.
When we've given her things, or made extra special efforts on her behalf that we were sure would make her happy, often little to no appreciation has been shown. We couldn't tell if she was pleased or not with the absence of any response.
Over the last year, we've tried to teach her how to receive gifts with kindness and gratitude, regardless of whether or not they're her favorite things. We've encouraged her to see the heart of the giver, even more than the gift. While we may not always love what people do for us, or give to us, we can always
appreciate the heart and good intentions in it.
Essentially, we're teaching her to see the invisible gift-wrap. To notice the love, the effort to please, the thoughtfulness that someone used to "wrap" their gifts.
What we see in life is a fraction of all that's really going on. People are often showing us their hearts, even if it comes through awkward gestures, or words that lack what we really want to hear.
In a world full of struggle and change, love abounds. Look for the invisible gift-wrap around the words and deeds directed toward us by the people in our lives. Take time to see the hearts hiding behind the obvious and the not-so-obvious. Notice
the love expressed and the love requested by looking beyond what is left unsaid or undone.
May our gifts expand when we notice all the other ones waiting to be "opened."
