By Brenda Cannon Henley
Black Friday shopping is alive and well here in the Atlanta, Georgia area where I am visiting. The roads were filled with cars, vans, suvs, and even buses, taking men and women and boys and girls to various shopping centers, stores, and malls. Women with long lists in hand, men with newspaper ads clutched tightly, and children with looks of wonderment were to be seen everywhere one looked. I am sure this rush will continue up through Christmas Eve for the procrastinators.

Listening in on conversations even before Thanksgiving feasts were finished, I overheard plans for one family member to be in one store or mall, while another would guard the doors of another outlet, and a third would head to another store offering a great deal that couldn’t be overlooked. Honestly, I can say I had no desire to brave the crowds, take advantage of the buys, or seek to find that special gift. Perhaps I am in truth getting older and have not admitted it as of yet. I am happy enough to shop one or two days and wrap up my gift choosing quietly and more simply, or better yet, order on the Internet.

While I was observing all this frenzied fury, burrowed brows, and bent budgets, I gave a great deal of thought to what I would like to give this year, and what I would like to receive from my family. Don’t get me wrong or check me off of your gift giving lists — I love to receive beautifully wrapped gifts bought with love as well as anyone. And, I love the holidays — all of them. In fact, December is one of my favorite times of the year, and I celebrate my birthday on December 23rd, so it is doubly special for me. My dear immediate family knows it is really not a good idea to wrap my birthday packages in red and green or gold or silver foil. I want pink, blue, yellow, aqua, you know, colors like birthdays are done in, just like my friends receive.

After sitting beside my precious aunt’s sick bed for almost two weeks now, I realize that time is one of the best gifts we can ever give anyone. She is now 94 years old and has lived a long, full life filled with memories, friends, and good deeds. She enjoys talking about her experiences and I enjoy listening. She talks for hours at a time and I listen, hopefully attentively. I realize that for far too many years, I have been too busy building a career, rearing my own family, traveling, and being self-centered.

Our talent is another gift we can bestow cheerfully on others. What can we do or give or create that no one else can? If we paint, do we paint for others? If we sing, do we offer our voice to churches, schools, or groups that could surely use our talent? If we sew, what have we sewn lately that is a blessing to someone else? If we happen to be mechanically intuitive, have we helped another person who isn’t lately? What about cooking? Have we shared our God-given talent with another individual or family?

Sitting here in this large and busy care center in the Atlanta area, I have had occasion to get to know the residents a bit better than when we first arrived. It breaks my heart to write that some patients have not had one visit from a friend, loved one, or family member since I have met them.

Not one soul visited several during the Thanksgiving holiday and I found myself stopping in to say hello when my aunt napped or had other company. Food is always a welcome gift and they do appreciate it so much.

When I asked my aunt’s roommate, a precious lady named Annie Hurston, what were some gifts she would treasure now and later at her home, she thought and thought and then she said very sincerely, “Miss Brenda, I desire prayer more than anything else. If folks are praying for me, I can make it.” Miss Annie’s heart’s desire is to walk again after an entire year of not walking on a really bad knee. She has now had the knee surgery and is undergoing therapy every day so that she can return to her home and perhaps be able to attend church again. “I can hardly wait until the day I can open that church door and walk to my pew under my own power and sit down and listen to the preacher,” Miss Annie said.

My aunt and her roommate are among the fortunate here because they both have family members and friends that they care. They are blessed because so many that love them are willing to give gifts that cannot be wrapped and placed under the tree. (2013-12-03)

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at (409) 781-8788 or at [email protected].

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