Fierce Beauty by Kim Meeder

Author:Kim Meeder [Meeder, Kim]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-1-60142-204-0
Publisher: The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group
Published: 2011-10-04T04:00:00+00:00

11

THE GIFT

Extraordinary Favor

Often my life feels like a treasure chest. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t reflect on the incredible gifts I’ve been so honored to receive. My home is filled with cards, photographs, drawings, hand lotions, quilts, treats, jewelry, and outdoor gear—all evidence of the kindness and good wishes of others.

Their generosity and imagination seem boundless. Occasionally I receive items that appear to have been the resourceful combination of what could be found under the backseat of the family vehicle. These crusty creations usually consist of leftover Happy Meal parts, petrified french fries, and other unknown mummified objects all ingeniously held together with wads of chewed gum. They’re amazing! The sheer inspiration behind such gifts makes me crack up with laughter.

Upon one such presentation I caught the horrified stare of a visiting adult. Her expression declared, “I wouldn’t be caught dead touching that rotten thing!” I’m grateful I don’t feel the same way. It won’t surprise me a bit if one of these days I’m found passed out on my ranch, wearing a big dumb grin on my face while clutching something really gross.

A gift is a gift, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a crushed bunch of flowers yanked from my own garden, a half-eaten cookie, or color-smeared little hands dropping M&M’S directly into my mouth. The presents I receive are always a reminder of how much I’m loved.

No matter the gift, the old adage still rings true: it really is the thought that counts.

With this fact in mind, I knew the upcoming day would be incredible. Not because it was August or even because the weather was beautiful. It was the perfect day because it was my birthday.

Most people didn’t know it was my birthday, which I like since folks then don’t feel obligated to give me anything other than a genuine hug. I love a warm embrace. My grandmother taught me that no matter how hard times get, it’s something everyone can afford to give.

Throughout the day as I was showered with cards, simple gifts, and a full bottle of water poured down my back, I knew that something else, something extraordinary, was on the way. It wasn’t intuition. My friend Cheree had called to tell me her daughter, Jenna, had done something remarkable for my birthday. Cheree was so thrilled about the gift that she called to tell me how excited I soon would be.

Every time I thought of Cheree’s call and the pure delight in her voice, I nearly felt like crying. Cheree was a single mother who had done her best to raise her daughter. This family of two worked remarkably hard simply to cover the basic necessities, things others don’t give a second thought to. In years past this mother and daughter had used finances allotted for Christmas gifts to pay the mortgage. Their gift to each other was the opportunity to continue living in their modest home.

Each did her best to make ends meet. Cheree was employed by an

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