Sunday Night Reflections

The piece I'm sharing with you tonight is one of my favorites. Sadly, I have no idea who the author is. It touches my spirit each time I read it and I hope that as we enter this gift giving time of year it will touch you in some special way as well.

Revel In The Gift

My great-aunt Emma used to get effervescent at every family gift-giving celebration. No matter the occasion, no matter the gift, she enjoyed every ribbon, every scrap of wrapping paper, every trinket we gave her. Once, my sister gave her an unidentifiable something-or-other concocted from a melange of safety pins. When my sister was unable to tell her what the thing was, Aunt Emma didn't mind in the least. In fact, she gushed all over my sister, opened one of the safety pins, and fastened the whole horrible mess to her lapel. Not only did she wear the whatever-it-was all day long, but she went around to all the other guests showing it off and inviting them to compliment my sister on her creative achievement. Some of my relatives thought my Aunt Emma was "touched." They were right. 
Aunt Emma, long dead now, was "touched" by God. She reveled in the receiving of gifts as she did in their giving. She was always in a state of wonder over what was given her, always overwhelmed by appreciation, always thoughtful enough to use-really use-all the gifts she'd been given. She simply and beautifully trusted in the generosity of the giver and in the inherent goodness of the gift.
I think that Jesus wants us all to be like great Aunt Emma. I think he wants us to revel in the gift of faith we have received from the divine Giver. Certainly our growing in understanding does not diminish the gift. What is important is that we accept the gift, use it well, and bring it with us-still shining-home to God.