Cards. A Photo. A Hug.
Even More Than I Imagined
“You have cards in the mail,” Rich said, pointing to a telltale pastel envelope. Passing over a large catalog envelope, I opened the card with a smile, as I hadn’t been expecting any personal mail.
When my birthday had rolled around at January’s end, my daughter was busy battling morning sickness. When she called to wish me a happy birthday, she promised a gift would be coming.
“Don’t worry about it,” I told her then.
But today I had mail from Hawaii. I tore open the envelope. Cadence had written his little brother’s name above his own in the card to Lala. My daughter had helped him make a hug, two paper tracings of his hands, joined with ribbon the same length as his five-year-old arms. A second card from Elaine and her husband included a photo of the two of them, Rob handsome in his chief’s uniform, my girl dressed up for an evening out.
“Aw, look, Rich! A new photo of the kids. And look at Cadence’s writing!” I delighted in my birthday gifts. And later that evening, when we visited the kids in Honolulu via the magic of Skype, I thanked them for the cards, the hug, the photo.
“You’re welcome, Mom,” Elaine answered. “I’m sorry they took so long.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “And how is Little Miss Kidney Bean?” [That’s what I call the grandbaby who is due in September. No, we don’t know yet that it’s a girl.] We chatted, Cadence hammed for the webcam, Sawyer toddled around adorably, and then we said good night.
The next morning I opened the big flat envelope. It was also from my daughter. An independent stylist for Stella & Dot, she’d sent me the latest catalog, featuring the company’s beautiful spring jewelry collection and their other accessories, too. (Yes, that’s a plug. I’m proud of her, contributing to her family’s finances while maintaining the portability that life as a military family demands.)
Inside the catalog was a gift certificate for me–a birthday treat. I called Elaine immediately, embarrassment cooking my cheeks, to thank her for the generous gift.
Since I hadn’t opened that envelope the evening before, I’d missed the gift it contained. Thrilled with the photo, the clever hug, the cards full of heart, it hadn’t occurred to me that there might be more.
Abundance spills far beyond my paltry imagination. Again.
That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love Him.”
1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)
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