Advent Week 4: A Gift of Love

Thirty-six years ago I was a young mother celebrating my first Christmas with my 6 month old daughter. My husband pastored a church in a small town in the Florida panhandle where we lived in the manse next door to the church. Because they provided us a house, our little church didn’t provide a very substantial salary; however, we were content and never wanted for anything.

It so happens that my birthday is twelve days before Christmas. I turned 29 that year and was beginning to worry about my skin aging. So I had asked my husband for Oil of Olay for my birthday. He obliged, and I was absolutely thrilled.

Fast forward to Christmas day. We had traveled the two hours to my grandparents’ house in Crestview to share our baby’s first Christmas with them. I sat on the floor surrounded by gifts from my grandparents, most of them for baby Sarah. There was one very special gift from my husband; I was eager to open it. We opened our gifts one by one, and finally it was time to open my gift from Keith.

My husband's gift of love

I carefully removed the bow and tore into the wrapping paper. My husband had given me….an Oil of Olay Christmas gift set with two types of Oil of Olay.

Now it is true that I was thrilled with my Oil of Olay for my birthday. However, that one bottle would last me for months to come. I certainly didn’t need – or want- two more bottles for Christmas. However, in that moment I looked into my husband’s eyes and saw the love there. He said, “You were so pleased with this for your birthday, I just wanted to get you something you would love!”

So rather than show my disappointment, I hugged him and thanked him warmly. I didn’t have the maturity then to realize what a special gift of love he had given me. And at some point over the next week, as he asked me again how I liked my Christmas present, I told him the truth. The sadness in his clear blue eyes was palpable. His goal had been to make me happy because he loved me so much. In my selfishness, I had robbed him of that privilege.

Fortunately, as the years have passed, I have come to deeply appreciate the love and thoughtfulness that Keith puts into each gift. Some years have been more memorable than others, but every year he leads with love. One year he gave me tickets to a Celtic Woman concert. This year he gave me a beautiful necklace to remind me of Jeremiah 29:11 and encourage me in my writing. Nevertheless, the most wonderful gift that he has given me for the last 40 years is his faithful, steadfast love. I am truly blessed to have a marriage that is filled with love and laughter!