Seeing What’s Inside
Every year at Christmas, my mother had her own tradition. She began buying gifts and wrapping them long before other folks even thought of such things. It was efficient. It was productive. It allowed her to wrap up the gifts in the same careful way that I choose my words every morning.
Gosh, the presents! They were large and small! They were tiny and incredible. They were many, and they were for so many. They sat under a tree that was decorated with such care that I realize now it must be the reason that I spend hours rearranging word that I write until they’re in order.
Under that tree and piled through the large room as proof that my mom had found a reason to return every favor, and every smile she had received. Each gift was wrapped more beautifully than the one before. The bows were crafted and carefully chosen.
The part of the tradition seems only my mother’s was that she waited until Christmas Eve to put names on the presents. Until then, every present only had a tiny number. She said that it was that we wouldn’t shake the gifts with our names and be tempted to open them early. But the result was that those little numbers filled my imagination with wonder.
You see, I didn’t sort the boxes into theirs and mine. I only saw the abundance and the promise of good surprises.
And it made me think about what could be inside the boxes. I could see them shining inside.
Imagine if we look at people — the ones we love, the ones we know, the ones we’ve not met — the same way.
Gosh, the abundance and the good surprises inside each of us! See the light? See the promise? Our light shines when we shine on them.
See the gift they are. Be the gift you are. It makes us glow from the inside out.
Thank you for the abundance and surprises you are to me.
I’m a very lucky girl.
We can change the world — just like that.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
