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So," my sister, Fiona, said as we sat in the kitchen over coffee. "What are you getting for your anniversary this year?"
I rolled my eyes. “Same thing I get every year: Disappointed.”
We laughed, but I wasn’t trying to be funny. It was a chronic condition. Anniversaries, birthdays, Mother’s Day, Christmas—all the big events left me feeling down. My husband, Tony, would show up with a dollar-store card when I’d hoped for a night out. Or chocolate when I’d hinted for earrings. And why didn’t he ever think of getting a sitter, making hotel reservations, and whisking me off for a day or two? I was always hoping for that “perfect” gift, but never getting it.
“He’s not a mind reader,” Fiona finally said in Tony’s defense. “You have to tell him what you want.”
“After eighteen years of dating and marriage, you’d think he’d know me,” I complained. She looked at me over her cup, eyebrows raised: “Or that you’d…
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Caroline,
Thank you,
Paul
I remember a long time ago my parents used to ask me what I wanted for my birthday or for Christmas. When I was nine a received an awesome watch which I still remember. This was a true great gift. The years passed and I did get other gifts but something started to go wrong. As I recall, the watch that I received, I remember also that neat electronic organiser which dropped right in a drawer until it got obsolete. Wasn’t that a great gift? No it wasn’t, it was only for me a lack of interest and a bunch of wasted money, and time said true. I have understood, by having being in this situation what the perfect gift is. It is not a waste of money. It is not something senseless. It is not obsolete. The perfect gift is attention and love, presence and cherrishing. The perfect gift is often costless…a rose when one is sick, a hug to encourage someone, a smile, some of our time to be offered. The perfect gift makes you feel alive and helps you be yourself and can answer to the many questions you might have in minde. The perfect gift is true and remains so throught one’s life. What you have counts, what you get counts, what you would like counts, what you receive counts. It is to the giver and to the receiver to find in their relationship a way to give and receive what counts. All the rest is nothing.
Hi Caroline
I loved your story on gratitude. Just last night a friend (who is 82) was commenting on how our health is improved if we are living a life of gratitude. Positive attitude and gratitude are the hallmarks to a life of joy and peace. I am so glad to read how you discovered the gift of receiving God’s love without expectations and strings attached. It is very freeing and opens the heart up to receive even more. God bless.
I used to live in Kanata, in the 90’s. We went to the church on Marsh Rd…is it still there? I have a siluette of the church…it is lovely. I used to sing at the Saturday night Mass. Now I’m a reader at the Sunday Mass.
Life is good, God is Great!
Blessings,
Lynn
Oh how this story hit home.
Thank you so much Caroline. Learnt a lot from it.
There were two comments on here that really sank in for me:
I do not know how to receive love and the other one this is not about me
this is suppose to be about you.
This story describes me hard to believe that someone else that is feeling the samething that will open your eyes.
It definately takes another person’s story to open someone else’s eyes like mine. You and I definately relate right to a ” T “.
i enjoyed your story.
I agree with it. No matter what we receive, if we don’t receive them with gratitude, we miss so much in life as everything seems bleak to us. It all boils down to we don’t earn what we receive. They are all God gifts to us. Sometimes, our loved ones may not love us the way we want. But, it does not mean that they don’t love us. It’s just that we are not open and generous enough to receive different expressions of love. No matter how it is expressed, there is still Love behind all.