Since it is the season of gift giving, among other things, I thought I would share a great gift idea with you. The idea came from my husband; it was one of the best gifts I've ever received. You can vary this gift in many ways, but no matter what, the recipient will never be the same after receiving it.

It was a two-part gift. The first part began forty days before my fortieth birthday. Near my morning coffee I found a package and a greeting card. Inside the package was a children's book entitled "I Love You This Much," and it had an inscription in the front that had been written by my husband. The message was that he was very happy I'd been born, and he did indeed love me "this much." The greeting card, on the other hand, reassured me that he was also still aware that I was the big Four-Oh, and deserved much ribbing about it.

The next day near my morning coffee I found a second package. It was appropriate for a one-year-old, with a loving inscription, and accompanied by another witty 40th birthday card. Over the course of the next forty days I received forty packages. They weren't all expensive, but each indicated how happy my husband was to have glimpsed the individual ages I have gone through. everything from blue nail polish to framed drawings by my children was contained in the packages. even while we were out of town I received a daily package. I can't express what a treasure each one was, nor can I stress how much I began to look forward to each coming day. I completely forgot that I was getting old. Luckily, his daily greeting cards reminded me.

By now you are probably wondering the same thing that I had been thinking about; why a two-part gift, and how will this climax on my actual birthday? In a way, it didn't really matter any more. I was so overwhelmed with all of the thoughtfulness by the time my actual birthday came, I didn't care if I got another gift or not. But I did get a gift. I got a gift from almost everyone in my life. Better yet, it wasn't a surprise party which I had dreaded!

On the big day my husband invited me to sit on the deck and enjoy the lake view. I am fortunate to have a late spring birthday, and the weather was perfect. We sat for a short time and then my husband excused himself for a moment. He came back with a package. The package contained more than seventy letters. I still have those seventy letters; they were the gift of a lifetime.
I wouldn't normally call my husband a planner, but he planned well for this event. He had sent out a survey to my friends and family prior to my birthday. The survey was a 20 question "Happy Birthday Nancy" quiz. It contained a few silly questions, a few serious questions, and birthday greetings. I couldn't open those letters fast enough, and yet I couldn't absorb them slowly enough. I was overcome with emotion and love. I couldn't believe that my husband, and everyone else in my life, would take the time to do something so incredible for me on my birthday.

One question that stands out was actually meant as a joke; my husband and I had often joked about some of the silly editor questions asked of famous people in interviews. One such question was, "If you were a tree, what kind would you be?" So my husband asked on the survey, "If Nancy were a tree, what kind would she be?" I giggled when I first read the question, but the answers were so beautiful it became one of my favorites. I was described as a willow, a birch, an oak, an apple tree, a Christmas tree, a giving tree and many others. Each answer gave me insight as to how my friends and family see me and also shared with me a bit about them.

It took me hours to read through all of the letters. I cried through several of them. One was from my uncle (my dad's brother) who was thoughtful enough to include a few words he thought my dad would have wanted to say (my father passed away in 1995). Many were from dear friends I hadn't spoken with in years. When I finally finished them I cried a little more. I felt such joy deep in my soul. What a powerful gift.

I am still amazed at the creativity and love it took for my husband to come up with that two-part gift. It was a gift that enabled me to connect with so many loved ones and to experience wave after wave of love expressed in those notes and letters. I was forced to receive their messages without any reflexive responses; I had to soak it all up. I will always keep my package full of letters. It gives me great reading material if I ever have a bad day or forget how fortunate I am. It makes me realize how important each and every one of us is, and how much we have to offer. I may never be able to repay him and everyone else that contributed to the gift. I may never be able to express just how thankful I am for that gift. But I will certainly remember that with a little thought, and a lot of love, gifts can be so much more than "things!"

During this season and beyond I hope you can give and receive such a meaningful gift, a gift of love. From either end of that spectrum you will be blessed by the experience. even if your survey, questionnaire, or note is given or received from just one person, let the words make a difference.

Celebrating Life on the Water,

Nancy Henke, Editor

By Nancy Henke