in an effort to not procrastinate on at least one thing in my life last night, i went christmas shopping... for real christmas shopping... i would not look at anything that i wouldn't consider buying for someone else... (i like looking at stuff i like - last night was not one of those nights...)
so i went from store to store in one of the shopping centers in portland (really only from barnes and noble to target to circuit city, back to barnes and noble, back to target then home...)
i bought one christmas present - ONE... that is pathetic... i live with a large family, and i want to get them all something - although, it will probably not be much for each person... once the rules of multiplication come into play with money, it's not a good thing (unless it's income)... so if i spend so much on one person, multiplied by 8 - well... let's just say, i'm going to have to be a bit frugal in my attempts, because i need to buy my family their stuff first, along with a few friends sprinkled about...
here's the problem... i love giving gifts... no wait, that's not the problem...
the problem is... i don't want to give gifts just because it's required... i want them to be great gifts... i want, when the recipient opens the package, their face to light up because it's the perfect gift... and for that gift to have special meaning, even years from now... i have gifts like this that i love... things that are so special to me, not because of cost, but because of the relationship with that person and also with their familiarity with me - when they know me so well they know what's perfect... or just because it's made me laugh... i don't know - hard to describe - but when they just "fit"
so that's what i want to get - perfect gifts... here's problem #2 - most of the members of the family i'm having trouble picking out gifts for are boys - the youngest boys - ages 7, 10, 13, and 16 - i have never been a 7, 10, 13, or 16 year old boy... even in living with their family for several months, i don't know what would be perfect... and it's hard to figure out what to get - sure i could get them a new video game or a gift certificate, but i want it to mean something...
this family has meant so much to me since i moved to the northwest... i'm a different person because they are in my life... they have shaped a lot of who i am - and i'm very thankful for that - each one in their own way has been incredibly special... how do i say thank you for that? how do i show a 7 year old that he is so precious to me when he asks me the greatest questions ever and makes me look at the world a little differently each time he laughs? what christmas gift would show that appreciation and still be so cool that his little face lights up with sheer joy... so that in the back of his mind he's thinking, "robyn must think i'm really cool... this present is awesome..."
i really want to protect them - so i won't say their names, but i want to say something about each of the boys - because they make me happy - and who knows... maybe it will help me think of ideas for future shopping excursions...
"the 16-year old" - passionate about his heritage... great leadership skills... hard worker... servant-minded... very willing to speak his mind about any given subject... goes out of his way to be a gentleman... intense desire to know - to learn... is very discerning and a terrific listener...
"the 13-year old" - he is my friend... it's that playful relationship that 13-year olds have (not that i'm 13, but sometimes i act it) - very silly and random, but a constant laugh... tender-hearted... he feels much... heartbreaker in the making... incredibly gifted, but too shy to let it all come out... loves animals... would bend over backwards for me at a moment's notice...
"the 10-year old" - stubborn... he is the one who always remembers - he remembers when i've said something (good or bad) and reminds me of it... prone to get in trouble - or at least has the capacity for it, but a great kid at heart... hard-working... kind of a "tough guy" image... will do anything for a laugh... incredibly gifted, although sometimes too stubborn to let them come out...
"the 7-year old" - incredibly bright... and amazingly witty... he leaves me thinking, "i can't believe he just said that... and got away with it" - a lot... he is the baby of the family by age, so some of the time that comes out, but most of the time, he's right in the middle of the action... so many of the things he says force me to stop and think... he's been used in every sermon i've ever preached as an illustration because of something he's said... when i'm gone for a while (a weekend or longer), i'm thankful if he's home and awake when i get home - because of his reaction when i walk in the door...
okay - so i started writing those, and then had to keep adding... so yeah - those are the boys... they're the ones i'm having trouble thinking of gifts for...
i didn't even mention "dad" or "mom" or the other 2 "kids" that live at home - but i could easily make lists about them, too...
i just hope they all realize how much they mean to me this christmas - how much of an impact they've made in my life... how do i show that?
Big Boo Cast: Episode 436
12 hours ago
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2 comments:
you are always so good at picking out the "perfect" gift. whether it be a card, or something fun and silly. you're not about just giving a gift merely for the sake of giving it...and i know that about you and that's what's always made your gifts so precious and simple. they're not only thoughtful, but straight from the heart. i'm having problems trying to think of gifts i can give that don't cost me anything. not that i'm cheap, just absolutely broke.
The so-called "perfect gift" is not that way becuase of the gift itself - it is that way because of the giver. My mother in law passed away earlier this year, and tonight my daughter was crying because she found a music box in a catalogue that was similar to one that her grandma had. She wasn't crying because of the beauty of the music box; she was crying because it was Grandma's. In the same way, the boys won't remember the gift in future years because the gift was wonderful - they'll remember the gift because you gave it. Hope this helps.
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