| Tokens of Love Tom was a practical man.
Every Christmas, birthday or anniversary, he gave
Marie something she needed, a blender, new shoes,
new tires for her little car. He never wasted
money on gift wrap or fancy cards, and certainly
never gave flowers which would just be dead in a
few days. Not Tom! He was a practical man.
Marie, on the
other hand was a romantic dreamer but kept her
dreams to herself. What would be the point of
telling Tom? Tom was a practical man who expected
her to be a practical woman. So Marie gave Tom
practical gifts without cards or wrapping.
And the years
went by. Tom and Marie grew old, and Tom quietly
died in his sleep one night a week before
Christmas.
On Christmas
eve, Marie was sorting through Tom's effects when
she found a plain cardboard box filled with
special things he'd saved, neatly written ledgers
and logs of his volunteer work, a few photos of
his buddies at work, his old high school
yearbook, and what looked like a diary.
Marie opened the
"diary" and held her breath as she
began to read...
"Marie,
you're a practical woman. I know you wouldn't
want the things I long to give you, so I'm giving
them to you here in the secret place of my
heart..."
The book was
filled with beautiful romantic poetry Tom had
written for Marie. It held a dated list of what
he had wished he could give her on special
occasions or for no occasion at all. There were
pressed rose petals and taped to the back cover,
a tiny, heart shaped locket with a miniature
picture of their wedding day. But Tom was a
practical man, so his tokens of love had been
locked away.
Marie clasped
the locket around her neck and went to the tree
to remove each gift. The umbrella for Jenny, the
snow shovel for Ben, the sleepers for her
grandsons. She would return them all.
Then Marie wrote
each loved one a letter telling how deeply she
loved them and listing all the wonderful things
she could name about each one. She recounted
precious memories about her time with them and
how she treasured these. This would be her
Christmas gift to them. She wrote a letter to
Tom, a token of her love
Finally, she
wrote a note to you and me:
"Don't
hesitate to give another the priceless gift of
your inner self. Share your true feelings with
those you love today."
|
Mama's Wedding Ring Daddy first proposed to
Mama in a letter. They had never met in person
but had corresponded and exchanged snap shots for
quite some time before she took a train from
South Dakota to Denver to accept his proposal in
the flesh.
The depression
was in full swing, and Daddy had only one prized
possession to his name, an old Buick. There was
no money for a ring. So, sitting on a park bench,
my flamboyant father placed a cigar band on
Mama's finger as she timidly agreed to be his
wife. The wedding soon followed in a local
courthouse. The ring was a newer cigar band.
Daddy would find
replacement cigar bands for Mama as needed and
all seemed well.
Then, one day
just before I was born, Daddy found Mama in
tears. Finally, she told him she was embarrassed
to go to the hospital where doctors and nurses
might think she was having a baby out of wedlock.
That evening,
they went for a walk in the park and on that same
special bench, Daddy proudly placed a simple gold
band on Mama's finger. She wondered where the
money had come from since he barely earned enough
to feed them, but she said nothing.
A week later, as
they drove to the hospital, Mama was too excited
to notice the Buick had been stripped of its
spare tire and every other removable item.
The
Luckiest Catch
Twenty-three
years had passed since Eleanora Karman, of North
Canton, Ohio, lost her wedding ring while fishing
at night.
Then last June,
Eleanora, fifty-seven years old, was chatting
with bingo buddy Jo Berry on their way in to the
game at the local church, and Jo mentioned that
she'd just caught three catfish. "If you
catch a fish and find a wedding band inside, it
may be mine," Eleanor joked. Her friend's
face suddenly turned serious as she said,
"Describe it." The white-gold ring,
said Eleanora, was inscribed with the Karman's
initials and wedding date.
"I have
that ring!" Jo said, and dashed home to
retrieve the band she'd once found on the shore
while fishing. The tearful, jubilant reunion of
jewelry and owner was witnessed by everyone at
the church - including the priest, who turned
down Eleanor's request to bless the ring.
"Honey," he said, "that ring is
already blessed!"
From Ladies'
Home Journal
from A Cup of Chicken Soup for the Soul
Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor
Hansen & Barry Spilchuk
|
Gifts of Love