- a fresh-picked dandelion
- a finger-painting
- a painted rock
- a page from a coloring book
- a cookie made from mud
- a craft from Sunday School
When I was a student at Roberts Wesleyan College, I planned a great day of giving for the campus. Groups went caroling at the mall. Other groups went to area nursing homes. Another group went to the children's wing of Strong's Memorial Hospital in Rocherster, New York (this group gave huge candy canes to the kids).
Afterward, we met in Garlock Commons for a party. We shared about our adventures. One girl stood up and - with tears - told of how meaningful it was to entertain the children at the hospital. She told us that one little girl had attached to her. When they had to leave this little girl gave her a big, sticky hug (from the candy cane). At that point, she turned around and showed us two small, red handprints on the back of her white sweatshirt!
Children can teach us a lot about gift-giving that would ease our stress! They've captured the concepts of simplicity and sincerity!
[Finger-painting by Hal's granddaughter, Rylie Grace Kerstetter]
I don't have any kids, but I remember doing just that. The intention was as pure as it got. You just wanted to be able to give the BEST that you had to offer at that very moment to the person who was in your heart. I remember walking up to the bank in East End with my Grandma to see my Mom while she was at work. I would be carrying a "huge" bouquet of dripping and sticky dandelions, along with a few violets that grew in abundance in my Grandma and Grandpa's yard. I was so proud to walk in and hold my hand up over the counter (I was too small to see over it) and give them to her. Whatever the offering was - no matter what form it took - it represented pure love, which is always the real gift. ~ Jen :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Jen! I can just see it. You need to be blogging... :) Hal
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