Christmas Giving from the Heart

My Grandma Edna Mowery  was a short, plump little lady whose eyes always sparkled.  Grandpa had passed on long before and she lived alone.  She spent her time making things. She sewed, mostly by hand.  I remember one year she made me a whole wardrobe of Barbie doll clothes.  These were amazing.  There were fancy dresses with sequins sewed on them, there were flannel pajamas, pleated skirts with tops to match with tiny little buttons sewed on them. One of my favorites was the tiny corduroy coat with little pockets stitched on it.  Grandma had even completed it with a matching lining! There must have been  25 outfits in this little box that she had waiting for me under her Christmas tree one Christmas Eve.  And to think that all of these were sewed from scrapes of material and sewed by hand - stitch by tender stitch.  There are no other Barbie clothes like these.  I actually still have them and no I don't play "Barbie" anymore but every now and then I take them out and look at the tiny stitches  stitched with love and am still amazed at this special wardrobe of clothes!!  I was the envy of all of my girlfriends when they saw all of these!  And as I look at these clothes I am amazed at the time, patience and love that went into making them.  Another year in my early adult life I had a big package under Grandma's tree.  It was a colorful red and white quilt - again all hand stitched!  These things must have taken her all year to make. 

I in turn always looked forward to giving grandma something equally as special.  I painted china so I would always hand-paint her a cup and saucer (she loved her hot tea!) or a plate, or more salt and pepper shakers to add to her collection. She collected all kinds of salt and pepper shakers!  She must have had hundreds!!  As a kid I remember standing for hours looking at all of these she had in two big china cabinets - row after row of them filling every nook and cranny in the cabinets. I've often wondered where all of her salt and pepper shakers ended up.  That was such a fond memory for me of gazing at each and every one of them as a child. 

When Grandma passed away I was given a box with all of the china pieces I had painted for her.  Each layer of paint and each firing of the paint was done with a loving heart as I painted it just for her with her alone in mind.  I now look at those china pieces and recall the joy I felt with each stroke of paint that was applied. And even more joy as I gave the painted china pieces to her. 

That is what Christmas is all about the joy and blessings of giving from the heart.  Not so much the dollar amount spent - but the act of giving.  Giving out of love reaches clear down into the depths of the heart. And that is when the act of giving fills not just the giver but also the receiver with the joys and blessing of that expression of true love - that of giving!  It was once said that "you may give without loving, but you cannot love without giving". 

May the gifts you give and receive this year during the Christmas Season be those that bring true joy and blessings to you and to the receiver of your gifts! 

 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 

John 3:16

This Christmas remember this special gift of love
 God gave to us !

~ ~ JESUS ~ ~