Skip to main content

The Kind of Gift You Love to Get for Christmas




My resolution this year is to remove old photos from my camera.   I deleted a bunch from the holidays but one photo has a story to it that I would like to share.  I call it “The Sookie Bucket” because five-year old Susanna, whom we call Sookie, came out of her room with gifts for me after unwrapping all the Christmas presents we gave her.  You should have seen the look on her face as she proudly handed me my present, her Halloween loot container minus the loot.  “This is for you, Groggy.  I want you to have it; I don’t need it anymore.”  So I inherited a bucket, a Lego piece and a soup can prop— treasures she parted with so I could have a present from her on Christmas.  I choked up.

The incident tugged my heart the same way the sermon did on Christmas Eve.  My pastor shared the well-known story of the little girl who wrapped a Christmas gift for her father only to be chastised when he opened it and found nothing inside the nicely wrapped package.  “But there is something inside it,” she cried.  “I filled it up with kisses for you.”  Shortly after, she passed away and her dad relished the box, a tangible treasure from his loving daughter’s heart.

My Sookie Bucket triggers a deeper thought as I start a new year.  Jesus gave it all to His very last breath.  His gift, a bloody sacrifice, wasn’t pretty and many misunderstood as they do even to this day.  For those of us who get it, His brokenness becomes our treasure and reason to live the abundant life!  I’m living life more fully because He gave all He had straight from His heart.

My bucket photo is neatly filed in last year’s folder but the lesson of giving urges me on in 2014.

Comments

  1. CarrieJanuary 6, 2014 at 9:38 AM

    This was beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2014 at 10:21 AM

    Wonderful post! How humbled we are at the fact that the God of all creation emptied Himself so that we might be filled with His fullness!

    ReplyDelete
  3. SharonJanuary 6, 2014 at 10:41 AM

    Oh, what a sweet story! (And, I love your name - Groggy!)

    Yes, the best presents are those given from the heart - and Jesus gave us everything He had, and everything He was, to save us.

    I am humbled by that love.

    GOD BLESS!

    ReplyDelete
  4. DeeJanuary 7, 2014 at 12:07 PM

    Your name..groggy ...made me smile...and oh how sweet a heart your little Susanna has. Your little Sookie bucket tugged at my heart too. ♥

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mevely317January 8, 2014 at 7:26 PM

    Oh Mary, this brought tears to my eyes!
    How blessed you are by having a 'Sookie' in your lives ... and sharing her sweet spirit with us!

    Hugs,
    Myra

    ReplyDelete
  6. PeggyJanuary 8, 2014 at 7:40 PM

    What a sweet post. I love the Sookie gift. All the best gifts are the ones filled with love. Happy New Year to you and yours.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Marriage Tip #44: Do What He Wants

I thought about our upcoming anniversary.   I prayed one morning for the marriages in my family, and a sentence about my own dropped in my spirit:  “ Do What He Wants .”  I paused, “Really?”  He’s his own man.  What if I end up in the wilderness camping by night and target shooting by day?  What if a coyote decides to have me as a late night snack? We celebrated our anniversary early this year, Before the kids come next week.   And we did it his way . This is how it happened. I never asked him about a plan or even mentioned our day.  I remember how it all unfolded at the roundabout just as we drove into Sedona.  He asked me if I would like to go to a baseball game.  I responded excitedly, “Yeah!”  Before the day was over, he purchased tickets for a Diamondbacks home game. He printed them out.  He booked a hotel room so we wouldn’t have to drive home from the city after the late evening game. ...
44 comments
Read more

The Daisy House

I work at my desktop with the children at my feet.  A makeshift area rug made of white butcher paper lines the floor where the baby, crayon in hand, imitates her big sister.  Sister focuses on the finishing touches of the house she designed.  The catchy children’s song, Wheels of the Bus, blasts from the Toddler Station on Pandora Radio. Six year old Sookie unveils her masterpiece and I ooh and awe at the sketch.  “It’s a daisy house!”  I exclaim.  “I love the colors.  I wonder what the inside looks like.”  Without hesitating, Sookie describes each room.  “There are five rooms and they are all different colors.  One is Mint Chip, another Strawberry.  There is a Vanilla room, and a Cookies & Cream room and the last room is Rocky Road.  You have to wear a sweater inside because it is very cold.” “A house made of ice cream,” I reply.  “It sounds heavenly!” I dug into my Bible readings that morning ...
37 comments
Read more

The Final Chapter

Are you like me when you join a new group of people? Do you navigate the crowd wondering where you fit in the best?  I felt insecure when I joined Word Weavers, a Christian writing group in our town.  Liz and Tony welcomed me with their accepting smiles.  It meant a lot. I sat with Liz in a small critique group one week.  I leaned in close so we could share a writer’s paper together.  She mentioned she would passively kick back and listen because she felt sick that day.  Tony kept his eye on her walking over with a plate of cookies and a hug for his wife.  But Liz did not eat. Last week, Liz passed away.  I attended the memorial service where I learned that Liz was a dreamer and fought for her dreams up to the very end!  Liz’s dream, her third book Jamie , came true.  The publisher approved her manuscript and moved heaven and earth to get the story printed in book form and delivered to Liz.  ...
50 comments
Read more