Some years at Christmas I receive a gift that has a special significance for various reasons. It may be a remembrance of a particular event or person. It may be it was given as something practical that I really needed at the time. Or it may be that it was so thoughtfully chosen or made especially for me that I cherish it for years to come.

Each year when I put away the Christmas ornaments I am reminded of the people who gave them to me and my heart is filled with love. This year I look at the shelf across from my chair and I see the tatted snowflake that my dear friend Christine made many years ago. She sent it to me in a card. I remember opening it and being so thrilled to have such a delicately hand made gift. She was very sick at the time she made it and months after I opened that card she died. Still every time I look at that snowflake I remember her and the many good times we had together. The love that went into making the snowflake radiates from it.

Another gift hanging from the shelf are two beautiful balls. One is an ornate gold ball that was given to me from another dear friend who has since passed away. Christmas was a time of year when she went all out and showered me with beautifully wrapped gifts. This particular ball, though, was a gift from the heart that I knew she chose as a reminder of how much she loved me. Beside it is a pearlized blue ball with doves and the word Peace on it. It came from a very loving and kind woman who I shared a life with many years ago. Each time I look at that ball the love we still share today shines forth and we are connected through the heart.

This year my three year old grandson painted me a paper Christmas ball with a paint set I gave him for his birthday. His sister wrote on the back. I will cherish this ball along with the others for years to come.

What I have learned over the years is that it is not always the gift that is purchased and given to us that truly matters. It is the love and thoughtfulness that goes into the gift that keeps on giving.

Merry Christmas Everyone! May the gift of Love find you wherever you are.