Bill's Musings

It arrived at the post office. The notice in our mail box said to wait in line and see what was in store for us. It’s that time of year when I order stuff for Christmas, so really, it could have been anything. I stood there, shuffling forward, waiting patiently. When it was my turn, I expected a box with ‘Amazon’ on it. However, this was not to be.

It was a fairly large package. All it said was ‘The Gingras’ with our address on it. I could not tell who it was from. What could this be? I love Christmas, but more as a giver than a receiver. It’s an awesome time to spread the cheer, to help out, to give of oneself. I am not used to receiving, which is fine to me. So this was definitely out of the ordinary.

I had to wait three hours before I could open it. It rode with me in my work van, sitting on the passenger side, seemingly glaring at me and screaming ‘open me!’. But I couldn’t. This wasn’t for me, it was for the entire family. So….I had to be patient. Curious, for sure. But patient.

The only people that I could possibly think had sent this was our friends the Tripps, Jeff and Sherri who live in Smith’s Falls. We reconnected with them last year, me having been best friends with Jeff in Germany in 1974 to 1976. And we subsequently met them in Paris in August while they were celebrating their anniversary. It was an incredible time. They let us have our own time with our family, and we met for meals and drinks. And Sherri is one of the most loveable, loving and thoughtful people I have ever met. So, this had to be from them.

Finally I go home. Package in hand, I walked in, and placed it on the table for all to see. Is there anything more exciting than receiving a package out of the blue? You are going about your day, minding your own business….and then POW…..a package from old friends shows up. It’s a gesture that is pretty rare these days, which makes it that much more special. We stared at the box, seemingly for an eternity, savouring the mystery for a few extra moments.

I will not go into detail about the contents of the package. Suffice it to say that it was filled with an incredibly diverse selection of thoughtful gifts for each of us. For my two boys, for Anne, and myself as well. Things that, despite the relatively short amount of time we have spent together with Jeff and Sherri, they nailed. Everything meant something specific to each of us. We were flabbergasted.

And therein lies the message here. The true gift we received was the gift of friendship from our friends. This package was the icing on the cake we were already so lucky to have. It was a chance to be reminded that there are lovely people in this world, people who can affect you with such an incredible gesture. And it reminded me why we like to give. Because when you do, the person or persons at the receiving end get to be pleasantly surprised and reminded that they are awesome too.

Never underestimate the power of a kind gesture, a thoughtful gift, even a word or two of kindness. I was for a time becoming cynical about a season that has become so commercialized. This package reminded me that it is a season to celebrate the fact that we are alive and are fortunate to have family and friends and that we need to cherish them.