The best gift you can give
On my facebook page SLP Mommy of Apraxia, every Sunday I post a kids being kids moment. The idea was to show the world that kids with apraxia or other invisible disabilities enjoy doing the same things as neurotypical kids. One day, a mom remarked she felt bad she didn’t have the money to give her kid all the experiences other parents seemed to be giving their children.
I told her that the gift of her presence was the best gift of all.
This year I lost my grandmother. She was honestly one of the most positive and pivotal influences on my life during my formative years and then throughout the rest of my life. What I remember about her was not the presents she bought. I mean I do remember that she was there for every birthday and Christmas and that she always gave me presents. That’s not what left the impression though.
I remember when I was with my grandma I was the most important person in the Universe. What I DO remember is helping her make her bed in her room with the violet walls. I remember helping her hang up the wash outside. All of these things were “chores” at my house but anything was fun with my grandma. I remember she would play card games with me and she would cook me breakfast. I remember she would take me with her when running errands or to the pool where she did her aqua exercise. The gift of my grandma was in the mundane, because…
Her presence was the greatest gift.
She will be dearly missed, but I feel so blessed to have had her in my life. I feel so blessed to have learned at such an early age thanks to her the words that Maya Angelou so eloquently once said,
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
To put it simply. I felt loved because she was present, and she was present with me and THAT is truly the best gift we can give.
This holiday season, whether you have abundance or modest means or somewhere in between, never forget that YOU being present with the ones you love is the greatest present of them all.
Merry Christmas!
With Love,
Laura
