The Gift of Presence

The opposite of Present is....
Absent (Without...Alone)

The opposite of Presence is...
Absence (Empty...Void)

When you are mom (and Santa) to twin 7year old boys...
Presents are a BIG element each December 25Th!
I believe this is probably the case with most children and young adults in today's world.

I use to believe that well chosen sentimental gifts were an ideal display of how a person truly feels about another...
Not necessarily the fiscal investment...
Definitely the mental, emotional and time investment.
Developing the insight to discern the best way to show how much you care...
Identifying the the most appropriate physical object to provide a sensory connection...
Something that can be seen, touched...smelled...tasted...heard...

Then one day around 40years and six months I looked around and realized...
Wow! I have a whole lot of stuff...
Stuff everywhere...
Too much stuff.
Too much to see.
So much stuff that sentimental joy had become
Sensory overload!
The "presents" had a lot of "presence" but my heart...my soul...my very spirit was no longer filled by the objects.
I came to realize...
It's the "presence" of loved ones that I cherish most!

Spending Quality Time:
Family Dinners...
Monthly Brunch with Friends...
Meaningful phone chats with friends and family...
Lounging with my children as we pile into a big family bed...first thing in the morning...sharing our thoughts...fears...hearts...
Watching movies with my husband as he runs his fingers through my hair...
Text messages and emails that say, "I'm thinking of you and miss you much"...
Video and voice messages that let me see and hear the ones I love the most...
Even after they are gone.

Master Card and Visa cannot provide the "Presents" or "Presence" that I cherish most this Holiday Season!

May your Holidays and Every Day be filled with the Presence of Love!

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