Care Package

Last week we visited my Dad and his family in Alabama for Thanksgiving. It was a great time for all of my immediate family to descend on the farm and relax. It’s very rare that we leave a place without forgetting something, and true to form, I left my glasses at their house and asked my Dad to send them when he had time.

Yesterday the glasses arrived and I knew there would be something else in the box. You see, my Dad cannot waste an opportunity like that; one time I got a box of old, used dog leashes along with some forgotten item. From time to time I would find an envelope in the mailbox with a comic strip inside that reminded him of our family, maybe he would add a note, maybe not. Baseball cards and my grandmother’s china and countless other treasures have been sent over the decades.

I’m reminded of the good gifts our Heavenly Father gives us all: so much grace, opportunities, the ability to love and serve others, second and third chances, beautiful sunsets and time with those we love. It’s up to us to notice, because they can seem so simple that we take them for granted, or we can recognize that God is constantly showing us how much He loves us.

So last night I opened the heavily taped box and found my glasses, as well as an assortment of candy and crackers. It was simple but special. His way of saying he loves us.

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:11