Tuesday, January 8, 2008

The most meaningful gift...

What was the most meaningful gift you've ever given or received, the one that stands out in your mind above all others? I've received a few wonderfully thoughtful gifts over the years (a poem written for me as well as an autograph book signed by a bunch of ladies as a farewell from a spouses' group, etc.) My most favorite, however, has to be the scrapbook my husband and kids gave me for Mother's Day a couple of years ago.


My husband is NOT a scrapbooker, but he went to Hallmark and purchased one of those scrapbooks that has pages already somewhat decorated, and then he printed pictures of me (by myself and with other people) off our computer and adhered them to the pages and journaled as well. This was a total surprise to me and I know it was a labor of love because it was something completely out of my husband's comfort zone. And because I'm a scrapbooker, I deeply appreciated the time and effort, not to mention the sentiment, that went into making the scrapbook special. Boy, he got some real brownie points for that one!


Our youngest son gave my mom a special gift this Christmas, and she hasn't stopped talking about it. We were traveling to KY to visit my family for Christmas and the kids were instructed to fill their backpacks with items to entertain themselves during the ride (books, Game Boys, etc.). My husband and I were checking the little man's backpack to be sure he had everything he would need, and we came across a small wrapped gift addressed to "Meems & Pa" (my mom and step-dad). I didn't recognize the gift because Matthew had secretly wrapped it himself. He'd wrapped up his palm-sized prayer rock to give to his grandparents. Little did he know, I had extra prayer rocks in my stash of gifts. He had given up something of his to give to someone else. He really touched my mom's heart and made her Christmas very special as a result.


It's great to be on both the giving and receiving end of a meaningful gift. So... have you given it some thought? What's the most meaningful gift you've either given or received?

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