A Gift with a Big, Red Bow on Top

One of my favorite gifts as a child: My father made this Barbie Doll house -- I was so happy.


Today I finished reading the book Because He First Loved Us by Henry B. Eyring. The final chapter was on gift giving. He talked about three things you needed to give a great gift: you have to know the person, the gift can not come with expectations, and you have to sacrifice to give the gift. It talked about the gifts of love that we have been given by other people. As I finished this beautiful chapter, I thought directly of a wonderful email that my friend Leah sent to me. It was one of those emails that makes you grateful for a friend that believes in you, knows you, and loves you just as you are.

I started to think about the many gifts that people have given to me and the sacrifice that went into them. These are a short samplings that came to my mind today.

• I love receiving letters and personal emails. I have a large collection of some of my favorite letters that I have received from friends and family. Every once in a while, I go through and read them all again. I love when people put their thoughts, well wishes, and love on paper because it becomes a gift that keeps on giving.
  

• One of my favorite gifts came from a man that I do not even know. I was living at BYU and something had upset me. I went for a run along the river. I stopped my run early and just sat by the river bank to think. A man came up behind me and in Spanish asked me if I was okay. At the time, I was taking Spanish classes but I did not speak well. However, I was blessed to be able to speak to this man without any problems. I told him that I was fine. He said, "Oh you are heartbroken." I said yes. Then he asked why I was in his home. I told him that I did not understand. He said it again, "Why are you sitting in my home." I was still confused. He asked if I would like to see his other home. I said "Okay" since I was a bit naive. He walked me across the running path to a pile of weeds and branches. It finally hit me. This man was homeless. He showed me his few possessions: some blankets and a backpack with a few items. We talked about his life. What he did for work and how it had been difficult for him to find work. Then he showed me what he did for fun. He showed me an intricate wire bug that he had made. He put fishing line on the bug and would pull it across the running path to scare people as they would run past. We talked for an hour and a half. I got him some food and some more blankets and I showed him the local food bank. As we were saying goodbye, he gave me the wire bug. I told him that I could not take it. He insisted and I still have the bug to this day. This man gave me a gift that has taught me a lot about how to be happy in any situation, how to give of myself, and that each of us have something that we can give.

Public Service Announcement # 41: If you'd like to give a gift click here: http://www.wikihow.com/Give-a-Great-Gift-to-Someone