On the porch of the Trading Post designed to mimic an old Hawaiian store, two artists have set up tables with their wares. The first artist's specialty is jewelry and she has used cultured pearls to make objects of beauty. When I stop to inquire, she elaborates on the details of the creation of each type of pearl. Pearls come in the shapes of little sticks, little palms with fingers, and flattened, bulging, coin shapes. She has fashioned nature's knitting into exquisite pieces.
The second artist is a glassworker, and she has created bowls, plates, and frames of extraordinary beauty. The colors shimmer. The blues and greens reflect the sea. Mom is captivated by the artists' work and remembers three friends at home, she would like to bring Christmas presents to. She settles on a little piece of Hawaii in the square form of a magnet--the kind one puts on a fridge to hang macaroni art. But the cost is unexpectedly high, $40 for a square inch piece of art. Mom tells the artist she needs to think about it.
As Mom ponders, thinks out loud, weighs the cost versus the worth, she finally decides not to buy the magnets. How could the recipient of the gift understand the circumstances of her desires? The small gift couldn't possibly capture the conversation with the artist, the bigger pieces of greater beauty and that the magnet was only a glimpse. The ambience of the trade winds, the front porch, the walks by the sea couldn't be given in the magnet.
Seeing Mom's contemplation changed my perspective, just in time, as the recipient of gifts. More often than not, when a person chooses a gift, a story comes with it. How often does the receiver ask to hear the whole story? Yet the story, the idea, the contemplation, the saving one's money to purchase the gift, the sacrifices, the searching stores for the right size, the perfect sale, the sewing, gluing or painting of that gift is bigger than the actual gift.
Last night, I listened to Broadway star Kristen Chenoweth tell O'Henry's story, The Gift of the Magi, a story about Christmas, a young couple, a pocket watch chain, and two hair combs. If the story didn't go beyond the gift exchange, how much we would miss! For the story has very little to do with the actual gifts. The story is about sacrifice, love, and the process of giving a gift.
This Christmas, I will not only unwrap and thank my family for their gifts; I will ask to hear the story.
The second artist is a glassworker, and she has created bowls, plates, and frames of extraordinary beauty. The colors shimmer. The blues and greens reflect the sea. Mom is captivated by the artists' work and remembers three friends at home, she would like to bring Christmas presents to. She settles on a little piece of Hawaii in the square form of a magnet--the kind one puts on a fridge to hang macaroni art. But the cost is unexpectedly high, $40 for a square inch piece of art. Mom tells the artist she needs to think about it.
As Mom ponders, thinks out loud, weighs the cost versus the worth, she finally decides not to buy the magnets. How could the recipient of the gift understand the circumstances of her desires? The small gift couldn't possibly capture the conversation with the artist, the bigger pieces of greater beauty and that the magnet was only a glimpse. The ambience of the trade winds, the front porch, the walks by the sea couldn't be given in the magnet.
Seeing Mom's contemplation changed my perspective, just in time, as the recipient of gifts. More often than not, when a person chooses a gift, a story comes with it. How often does the receiver ask to hear the whole story? Yet the story, the idea, the contemplation, the saving one's money to purchase the gift, the sacrifices, the searching stores for the right size, the perfect sale, the sewing, gluing or painting of that gift is bigger than the actual gift.
Last night, I listened to Broadway star Kristen Chenoweth tell O'Henry's story, The Gift of the Magi, a story about Christmas, a young couple, a pocket watch chain, and two hair combs. If the story didn't go beyond the gift exchange, how much we would miss! For the story has very little to do with the actual gifts. The story is about sacrifice, love, and the process of giving a gift.
This Christmas, I will not only unwrap and thank my family for their gifts; I will ask to hear the story.
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