Looking back over the years, Valentine’s Day brings to mind so many wonderful memories. But there is one memory that tops the charts. I’d like to share a special memory about when I received a gift from the heart.
Many of you know that I moved to Colorado after living in Florida all of my adult life. I left Florida behind when my daughter and son-in- law decided to raise their family in this great state. Life was good in Colorado Springs. I was blessed with 3 grandchildren. But as we all know, life can change in an instant. It all changed, big time, when the kids and grandkids (“my grands”) left Colorado to make Texas their home. What? Yea. Bummer.
On one of my first visits shortly after the “grands” had departed Colorado, I arrived to find my grandson, Lincoln, beyond excited. He told me that he had the best special gift for me. He stressed the “best special gift” repeatedly. He could barely contain his excitement as the joy spread across his little face when he spoke.
After settling in, the family gathered in the living room. Lincoln ran to get his gift for me. I exchanged glances with his mom, and she shrugged as if to say, “I have no idea what is going on.” Lincoln was beaming as he brought me his special gift. His palpable excitement was contagious.
I was touched beyond belief to see how excited Lincoln was to have a special gift for me. As I began to open the gift, his smile grew bigger and bigger. I was awestruck when I saw the most beautiful sparkling heart-shaped ring. My eyes welled up with tears. As you can see from the picture, it was beyond beautiful.
The rest of the family was speechless. His mother gasped and asked quizzically, “Lincoln, where did you get that ring, honey?” Lincoln was excited to share with us how he had managed to get the beautiful ring for me AND how he kept it a secret from everyone up until the moment of unveiling.
Lincoln responded, “Well Mom, remember when we had that gift fair at school?” His mother shook her head and replied, “Yes.” Lincoln continued, “when I saw that ring at the gift fair, I took one look at it and knew Coco (the grandmother name for yours truly) would love that ring. The more I looked at it, the more I wanted to buy it for CoCo.” Lincoln paused.
That was enough of an explanation in his mind but not quite enough for my daughter. She asked, “but Lincoln, where did you get the money to buy that ring?” Lincoln continued, “When I saw that ring, I just kept staring at it and staring at it for a long, long time. I didn’t have $30 to buy the ring, but I knew that heart ring was perfect for CoCo. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. That’s when my friend Troy walked over and asked me what I was doing. I pointed to the heart ring and told Troy that my grandmother would love that ring and oh how much I wanted to buy that ring for her. Troy agreed the ring was beautiful and that I should definitely buy it for my grandmother.”
Another pause occurred before my daughter continued the questioning. “Lincoln, you didn’t have any money, so how did you pay for the ring?” He replied, “well, when Troy saw how much I wanted that ring, he said that he had enough money to pay for it and he would give me the money to buy the ring.” We all gasped. Wow! What a heartfelt story and a heartfelt gift. Two little boys, one grandmother, and a beautiful sparkling heart ring. I was blown away. And then came the shocker when Lincoln added, “Oh Mom, by the way, don’t worry about how much it cost. Troy said I don’t even have to pay him back!” So yes, I have a sparkly heart-shaped ring that I wear on special occasions. The ring is beautiful, and the story behind it makes it one of the most precious gifts I have ever received.
“Where there is love, there is life.”
Gandhi said, “where there is love, there is life.” February is the month of love. The month of giving an extra special gift to show the ones you love just how much they mean to you. Whether it be chocolate, flowers, jewelry, or a nice dinner. But sometimes, the greatest gifts to express how much they mean to you is through your actions. I come to you with some advice…
Live.
In the spirit of love, don’t forget to live, make memories, and relish in the little things. If we learned anything in the past 13 months, it is to live life to the fullest because tomorrow is never promised.
Love.
Love hard. Not just in February, but every day of the year. Our greatest treasures are our loved ones. We must make sure that they always know they are loved and supported by us.
Laugh.
Laughter is the best medicine. It generates good feelings and happy thoughts. Laughter brings people closer together and creates some of the greatest memories we will ever hold dear.
