The Gift
If you know me, well, you know that I’m bananas about gift giving. I mean, if I could gift every human on earth, I would. I love finding that special thing for that special person. I love wrapping it up to perfection. And, I LOVE the joy of giving THAT gift. It is, to me, an almost always glorious occasion.
A couple of years ago, after leaving an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, my friend Leslie and I walked out to our cars together. As my trunk flew open, I said, “Les, I have your Christmas gift in here.” She then replied with a very kind sort of conviction, “Thanks, friend. Next year, can we just give each other the gift of our time because that’s what I value most.”
Time. Not the super “Swoozied” gift I had for her in the trunk of my car but time. It was a teachable moment for me in so many ways. It wasn’t the material gift that she was most excited about, it was the prospect of sharing time together- talking, laughing, crying, just being two friends, hanging out, together.
Time isn’t always of virtue to us until it’s limited. Some days, we’re short on time. Other days, time runs on and on. Yet, in reality, time is a limited commodity. And, that’s why spending it with someone is of such great value. Time is, in fact, a gift. That’s why they call it “the present.”
I don’t know about y’all, but I’m such a spazz. I’m forever thinking about what I have to do, what I haven’t done and the list goes on. I’ve got a long checklist of little things and big things to conquer. Some of those things on my checklist are time sensitive and others are not. Yet, I treat everything little and big thing as if they’re all time sensitive. What I know today is that there will always be a list of “to do’s,” but there won’t always be time, sweet and precious time to spend with those people we love.
When I was a little girl, we would drive to Kaufman to attend church, have lunch, watch the Dallas Cowboy’s and take a long nap at my grandparent’s, Maw and Daddy Rufus Nalls, home. Around the age of twelve or thirteen, I was counting every second until we got home so that I could, do what every teenager does, talk on the phone with my friends. When my Mom heard that sense of urgency in my voice to get home she said, “Jilly, one of these days your grandparent’s won’t be here to do these things with and tell you these stories. Enjoy them while you can.”
This holiday season, I hope you will truly “seize the moment.” Instead of placing great importance on an actual gift, I hope you’ll honor the gift of time by spending it with those you love most. It’s an investment with an unparalleled return.
Stay Divine,
JL PARISH
