The Gift
“You gave your love away. I can’t find the words to say that I’m thankful every day for the gift.”
Image credit Jess Bailey
One of my favorite songs is The Gift by Jim Brickman. It's meaningful to me personally as a love song. But it's so much more. I especially like these words from that song because, when I look around me, I see many who are giving their love away.
I hear our peer support mentors talk about being present to frightened, newly diagnosed patients because they know what it's like to have no one to talk with who has " been there." They gave their love away, and I am in awe of them.
I see family members who have their own challenges, a cancer diagnosis, financial stressors, or relationship struggles. They are often exhausted from multitasking and worrying. Yet, they always find time for a phone call or a text expressing support and understanding to someone else. They gave their love away, and I am full of gratitude.
I'm aware of waiters and waitresses, checkout staff, and bank tellers who seem genuinely happy to be alive and who exude joy in the moment. I feel happy being in their presence. They gave their love away, and it makes my day much lighter.
I've experienced people I didn't know well show up emotionally, send a card, call, text, email, stop by, bring food and conversation...all to say, "I see you," "I hear you," and "I'm here." They didn’t have to. They weren’t obligated. They did all of that because they wanted to. They gave their love away, and I am stronger.
There are many gifts in the world, and some of them are for us. They can be hard to recognize. A difficult situation might turn out to be a gift because it can nudge us to do things differently. Receiving that gift is not easy. And surprisingly, it can also be challenging to accept gifts when things are going well. In either circumstance, it sometimes takes practice to receive.
But there are also gifts we have to offer, but we may have forgotten what our gift is. We may believe it needs to be impressive or unique. It doesn't. It may sound like, "I'm here," or "I'm sorry this is so difficult." It may look like sitting in silence. It may be as simple as cleaning the bathroom or loading the dishwasher. It may be a quiet conversation over a glass of wine or a cup of coffee.
We all need one another's gifts more than ever. There are so many gifts in life. Look for them. Receive them. Give them.
I'm thankful every day for the gift.
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