I have a special memory,
That goes back quite a way,
It's of a special present
That I received on Christmas Day.
My daughters were quite young that year,
And funds were very low.
But Daddy took them shopping
To the "Dime Store" they did go.
Each picked out their "treasures"
For Gram and Gramps and me,
And they all came home elated
About their shopping spree.
They hid their gifts so carefully
So no one else could see.
I could not imagine
What these gifts might be!
And then came Christmas morning
And we gathered 'round the tree,
To open up our presents
And hear the shouts of glee.
The girls were quite excited
About the gifts they got
They weren't that expensive,
But to them, they meant a lot!
After all the gifts were opened,
I heard some little cries,
They were coming from my youngest,
And tears rolled from her eyes.
I took her up in my arms
And held her close to me,
And asked her, why the tears,
What could the matter be?
With tear-stained cheeks,
She looked at me
And sobbed:
"I lost your special prize!"
I hugged her close
And held her tight
Then gently
Wiped her eyes.
We all began to look around
For that grand specialty,
Into her little room we went,
And just searched frantically.
In dresser drawers
On tops of shelves,
Until at last we found
A tiny little box, all wrapped
And neatly bound.
"That's it, that's it," my daughter cried,
And brought it straight to me.
I hugged her right, as I sat down
Upon her little bed,
And opened up the little box,
That held a spool of thread.
No gift of gold or silver
Could replace this gift of love,
And I thanked the Baby Jesus
Who smiled from up above!
Marie Kelly, December 27, 1993
~~~~~~~
Daughter's note: Oh gosh! How I remember this! My sister Buzzy (the one on the right -- Barbara to others) -- bought my Mom a spool of thread for Christmas...and then lost it. And was devastated by the loss! (She was maybe, I don't know, maybe 4 or 5 years old at the time.) My sister Sharon and I had bought "cool" gifts...and for the life of me, I can't remember what we bought.
I learned something that long ago Christmas. A spool of thread from a loving daughter is worth more than...well, anything, really. It was, as my Mom remembered, years later? A gift of love. Which is the most important thing.
I could've posted this on Christmas but it's my little sister's birthday -- June 24 -- and I think she deserves this gift of love from our Mom.
I love you Buzzy!
