Our Gifts..

In one scene of the new movie, "The Navitity Story", a shepard told Mary that we all gifts within us to share with others. Of course, Mary's gift was God's gift to us, His son Jesus. It made me think back - what gifts do I have to share with my family and friends? Some I know and some I probably won't know because it hasn't be revealed to me yet.

Growing up, my brother had a beautiful gift of artistry and my sister had her atheletism - those were displayed around the house. I did not excel in either of those areas. Admittingly, I found it hard that I did not have anything "materialistic gifts" to share with my parents. It was not until I was 20 years old when left TB to Toronto for school that I began to realize that not all gifts one is given could not be mounted on a wall or displayed on a mantle - I made people laugh. Usually by pronouncing a word differently or something else quirky. For the past few years, I have gotten into scrapbooking and photography (probably because of those recent travels I did), and through both of those things I was able to share my experiences with others. Learned to make things for others which makes it so much more personalized for that other person. Last Christmas I made a few calendars of some of the hikes I went on or times I spent with the James family.

I know Christmas is a commerial dream for retailers, but I was reminded this weekend, that gifts - be it from us or a bought - come in all different packages. Thank you to my family and friends sharing their gifts with me - your shoulder, sharing a laugh, sharing a special time together, a piece of advice to help me over a hump and most importantly - your love - the most precious and cherished gift I could receive.