A Little Something for Rob
Just a few days before my daughter and Rob’s wedding, I realized that I wanted to give her a keepsake–something from me to her to commemorate the day. We had planned to spend some time alone together the afternoon before the wedding; that occasion would be just right to present Elaine with something sentimental from her mom.
I found and purchased an inlaid wooden music box that played Edelweiss, the song I’d sung to her as a lullaby when she was a small child. Perfect.
Then it dawned on me that we should choose a little something for Rob. I wanted to give him a token to welcome him to the family. So my husband Rich and I set out to find an appropriate item. I was a bit apprehensive about choosing something he would enjoy, as he’s selective.
After considering and rejecting several options, I found myself drawn to a basket of—rocks. The museum gift shop where we searched offered a selection of small stones engraved with words.
Browsing through the pebbles, I kept picking up a rock inscribed with the word “joy.” I would set it down to look at the other choices, but that small “joy” stone made its way into my hand at least six or seven times.
A rock that said joy? Was that the best I could come up with as a gift for my new son-in-law? It seemed trite.
I looked around the shop for other ideas. Nothing appealed to me. I found myself returning to the basket, and once again that joy-pebble called to me.
Finally I decided to buy it. I thought he could carry it in his pocket as a “fidget stone.” Rich and I joked about the old Peanuts Halloween program, wherein Charlie Brown kept saying, “I got a rock.” I hoped that Rob would understand why we’d given him a rock. I wasn’t sure I understood why we were giving him a rock.
The day before the wedding, when I went to meet my daughter for our Bonding Time Before The Big Day®, I found Rob in the garage and handed him the small gift bag holding the rock.
He pulled the tissue from the bag and unwrapped the pebble. He looked at me and blinked. Then he swallowed.
“I used to have one of these,” he said quietly. “My grandmother gave it to me. Her name was Joy.”
7 Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT)
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