Gifts of the heart

   Before I get started I wanted to tell you about the storm last night. There was the most amazing storm last night! I was woken up about midnight,  I'd been dreaming about thunder and lightening, when a knock on my door brought in Glen.  Abigail was crying and he brought her up to me.  After helping her I just sat on the couch and enjoyed the thunder and lightening for awhile.  There was so much lightening it was like a strobe lights, some flashes were so bright they lit up the whole room. The thunder was loud and long and a few of them felt like they shook the house.  We had storms like that all the time in Indiana and I have missed them so much here.  It lasted a good half hour and even after laying in bed I just stayed awake enjoying it.  What a gift.
Gifts.  Gifts have been on my thoughts a lot lately.  These flowers were a gift from a sweet little girl who think they are the greatest treasure in the world.  Abigail is very tender hearted and loves to show love for others by giving them gifts of dandelions, pine cones, her last candy, or a bite of her food.  When she gives me a handful of dandelions I know that she is giving me the best of what she has and she gives them with so much love.  They become treasures to me because of the love with which they are given.
     Abigail also loves to take flowers to other people.  Every day she asks to take flowers to one neighbor or another.  You might think I should discourage her from giving dandelions and pine cones to the lady down the street, but I never do.  She will meet with enough discouragement in life and develop inhibitions soon enough, I won't have any part in it.  The neighbors accept her little gifts with as much gratitude and love as I do.  I love that so much. 
     When do we start to think that what we have to give aren't good enough?  When do little flowers stop being good enough. Why does the time we have to give to listen or help become too little.  Why does a gift given have to be big and grand or cost a lot of money.  As adults we try to teach our kids that gifts can be small and inexpensive, that it's the thought that counts, but we don;t seem to believe that ourselves.   Do we still make home made gifts?  Do we still think "Oh they will love it because I made it" Maybe you do, but I have this idea so strongly in my head that it has to be big and expensive and amazing or they won't appreciate it.  I still cringe a little thinking of the picture I drew for a friends wedding shower.  It wasn't  a childish doodle, it was good, some of my best work, but still I thought it wasn't good enough.  Even after she told me how much she loved it part of me didn't believe her.  I should have bought something.
     Even though I have a hard time believing it, I hope I can teach my kids that what they have to give is good enough. After all, even the widows mites were accepted of the Lord.