One of My Favorite Gifts to Give
I remember the excitement of the moment. I also remember confusion.
It was one of the first times I ever saw someone cry when they received a gift. Our family had given Ester Cathy, dad’s sister and an inspiring author, a typewriter.
I was only a child at the time, and didn’t quite understand why my aunt was crying. I thought it was a great present.
I would later learn that sometimes we cry because of good things that speak right to our hearts. Aunt Ester was crying because of the joy she felt at receiving the gift.
What was this thing called joy?
I remember not only the exuberance of unhindered delight that came from her, but also the tears of elation from our family. Looking back, it was a moment that taught me the depth of joy.
Joy creates powerful emotions. It transcends happiness and stirs us with feelings we can’t always explain. Tears, goosebumps, laughing—these all reveal our joy. A moment of joy is like a celebration of life compressed into small pockets of time.
Joy also creates memories. And that moment seeing my Aunt Ester was and is a special memory for me. A memory alive with meaning, a pocket of time in which I saw a celebration of her gifts, her life.
Aunt Ester would spend seven years writing her philosophical autobiography that was ultimately published in 1982, titled: Under His Wings. In it, she speaks directly to those who face physical, spiritual, emotional or financial problems that seem too big to handle.
I would not learn this for many years, but Ester’s writings and encouragement would inspire Dad to write his first book, It’s Easier to Succeed Than to Fail, in 1989.
While Aunt Ester struggled from polio that badly crippled her body, she would go on to live a life based in joy. In her book she writes, “For most of the days of my life I think I have known the peace, joy, and contentment that comes only when we are where God wants us to be and doing what He wills us to do.”
For Aunt Ester, the gift of a typewriter was a special day for her, but it was an extra special day for me. It was a day I learned how joy connects to the deepest parts of a person, the parts that make us feel most alive.
This Sunday begins our season of Advent. The Christmas season officially kicks off. You and I will buzz around here and there, meeting family and friends, buying gifts. It’s a busy time of year, but in a good way.
But in our buzzing around, I wonder if we can look a little deeper and seek to give the gift of joy to one another—moments in which we celebrate one another’s gifts, moments when we celebrate this life together.
Could there be a better gift than joy?
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
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7yBeautiful..... especially the small pockets statement..... loved it ....lets have a meaningful and a giving Xmas!!!!! 👍
President at B-N-K Ventures, Inc. dba Cowberry Frozen Treats President at Cornerstone Consulting Services, LLC
7yStrong!...and a good message for the season. Thank you Dan.
Founder/Director of One Thing Worship at Joe and Kim Stanley Ministries, Co-Host of "A Burst Of Hope Podcast," Speaker, Worship Leader, Vocalist, Writer, Songwriter
7yThanks for sharing Dan!