Love Stories

Gifts of Love

In the last year, we’ve had a few big things happen in our family. One of the biggest being that Jim’s father has faced quite a bit of illness. It seems he’s barely recovered from one surgery and the doctors are ready to do another. There have been many phone calls, trips made and lots of prayer. As this new chapter of our lives unfolds, we take a walk down memory lane...

Jim loves to tell of the time when his dad was working at a sugar plant in Texas. The Bradys were two loving parents and a family of eight growing children. Finances were extremely tight and because the fuel cost would be much lower, Jim’s father began driving a motorcycle to work each day. I get tickled as I imagine my minister, father-in-law riding a motorcycle!

The family was always doing whatever they could to stretch a dollar and that meant that there wasn’t much money to spend on gifts or things that might be called frivolous. In the midst of this money crunch, Jim’s dad still wanted to do nice things for his wife. So, before he would leave work at the end of the day, he would go to the vending machines, buy a Dr. Pepper and a Three Muskateers candy bar, Jim’s mother’s favorite snacks, and bring them home as a gift to her. Not a lot of money spent, but much thought and consideration in the gift.

Every time Jim and I are in a conversation about ways to show that you love someone, he will mention that story of his parents. Some may think that a Dr. Pepper and a candy bar aren’t high on the list of impressive things, but the love and thought that went into giving them was much more valuable than the gift itself!

As Jim’s dad faces this time of difficulty in his life, we see Jim’s mother giving of herself to make sure her sweetheart is as comfortable as possible. She is doing the usual household chores along with waiting on him to supply whatever he needs. She will bring him his food, read to him, take him to his doctor’s appointments, give him medicine when his pain wakes him in the night and keep him company as he is too weak to go out and do things during his time of recovery. Another picture of giving and love.

Now, I could try for sainthood and say I don’t need “regular” gifts, but that would be completely untrue. Just ask Jim, he says I like chocolate and presents too much! HA! What I will say, is that I see there is great value in a gift of thoughtfulness that is born of love.