The Most Important Gift You Can Give This Holiday Season By Sandra D. Lane for The Organic Prepper
It’s the second week in November, and for many, the holidays are upon us. Shopping has already begun for little things, more than a few stores seem to have forgotten Thanksgiving altogether and, by the end of this month, Black Friday will darken many doorsteps, quite possibly causing damage to bodies as well as wallets.
People will be shoving and pushing, snatching and grabbing, spitting and hitting, stealing and running, and those who didn’t venture out into the fray are waiting. Waiting with knowing, secretive smiles, planning their weekend so they’re set for Cyber Monday where they’ll be on their computers, bidding and searching, ordering and buying, this gadget and that doohickey, their credit cards numbers flying here and there, their addresses, names, date of birth; all out there for the taking. And there’ll be certain someone just quietly sitting and waiting to do ‘the taking’.
The holiday frenzy will then be in full swing with invitations to gatherings, parties, and dinners, and plastered on every television in the world will be dazzling advertisements for dazzling gifts all at dazzling prices. Then soon after come the ribbons and paper, name tags and packages, and people racing from here to there, until it all seems to pause for a just brief immeasurable moment… As if suspended in time… And for that time the earth appears to be silent – still – almost as if it’s holding its breath…
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And then, maybe sometime before the sun is even able to peak above the horizon, there is a stir and a yawn, then a peep. The world comes alive again, bit by bit as the planet continues to turn, and the paper and ribbons are ripped to shreds, flying through the air as gifts are unwrapped, and the contents of platters and casseroles and wine bottles are emptied and engulfed, with the cutlery and cookware eventually stacked haphazardly in the sink. New Year’s Eve comes and goes, and the coldest part of the winter sets in.
For now, the holidays are over. But have we forgotten something? In all the hustle and bustle, in all our worry over getting the perfect gift, making the perfect dish, wearing the perfect outfit – Did we forget something? Someone?
The holiday I’ll never forget
I realize anecdotal stories are pretty useless, mainly because they are seen and presented with the perception of the one who experienced it, but in this case, I ask that you continue reading and take what I write to heart – even if you have to put your own spin on it to make it mean something.
I was a young wife and young mother. I had a high school education and a small college degree but had decided I liked being a wife and mother and so put all that business stuff aside for my kids and husband. I never regretted it once. I wasn’t the most insightful person back then though, nor the brightest. While I hope I did the very best I could in my marriage and in raising my kids, I failed other people. My Grandmother was one of them.
She was the typical grandmother of old; white hair that was always fixed up with rollers at night and hairspray in the morning, and she usually wore a simple but pretty printed dress with an apron, white socks, and plain brown shoes. And she always smelled of roses and had a smile on her chubby face. She was a stern grandmother but a compassionate and loving one to me and to my children. I was her only granddaughter; my children her only great-grandchildren. And I didn’t have a clue how important that little fact was. Like I said – I wasn’t too bright.
We lived out in the country in a rental house at one time, and my grandmother had moved into an assisted living apartment. See, my granddaddy had passed and the big old house that I always knew as “Grandma’s House” had been sold because Grandma couldn’t take care of it all by herself. That should’ve been my first clue but it wasn’t. I was too busy ‘living my life’ to pay attention.
One holiday season we had agreed to make the two-hour drive to see my husband’s parents for Christmas. My Grandma asked if we could stop and have dinner with her later that day and, dimwitted as I was, I quickly agreed over the phone, thinking we’d just pop in and say hi to her before going back home – no big deal. I know you’re probably already thinking at this point how stupid I was, and you’re right – I was. Because of other factors, I didn’t believe anyone really wanted my company, and so felt that a minute or two to give hugs and a gift was good enough. I found out later just how far my stupidity went.
We spent the day with my husband’s family, then, when we were getting ready to leave, their phone rang (only landlines back then). It was my Grandma. She wanted to know how much longer we’d be. I had completely forgotten about agreeing to stop in to see her, and so told her we wouldn’t be able to make it this time; maybe next time. Silence.
A little irritated, I asked her in a snappy tone if that was ok. It was then I heard her sniff… She was crying. Very quietly she said it was fine, that she loved us, and then she hung up. A twinge of guilt struck me but I smothered it with more irritation. It was just a drop in, I rationalized, and she had to understand how little time we had, and how much I had to do. And how much trouble it would all be. Sure, I had agreed, but things happen – right? Besides, she had my dad, my aunt, my uncle – why would she want me to stop by?
