by Lynda Lampert

Created on: November 11, 2008

The Gift

A very long time ago, just before the first day of spring, a kind man with a gentle face called me to him and presented me with a small box. The box did not look extraordinary, nor was it ornately wraped or grandly presented. It was just a box: small, grey, and mundane. The outside did not deceive me though. I knew the giver well enough to know that nothing he ever gave could be called plain or boring. Inside the box, I thought, must lie the wonders of the universe! I held it excitedly, examining every inch of its ordinary exterior. No bigger than a tissue box, I held it gingerly, anxiously anticipating the greatness I knew I was going to find within its simple cardboard walls.

"Open it, child," the man said.

And I, as if it was Christmas morning, hurriedly tore off the lid and peered inside...It was then that I first saw my gift. I imagine that the color drained from my face as I felt my heart sink miserably into my shoes. Then, hardly missing a beat, I feigned elation, not wanting to displease the one who gave it to me.

"Thank-you," I said, lying more noticeably than I would have liked, "I love it."

In his infinite wisdom, he saw right through it: "No you don't," he said with a wise smile painting his magnificent face. "Not many people do like the gifts I give them, but, in the end, they are overcome with thanks. Keep it," he said, still smiling that glorious smile, "and try to learn to love it as I do."

That night I sat on my bed holding the man's peculiar offering between my hands. I held it up to the light and studied its every angle to see if I could find some way to appreciate it. After what seemed to be an eternity, I hadn't found a single aspect of this gift that I admired. Disgusted, I threw it back into its now stupid looking box, and flung the entire package far under my bed.

After a while my friends came to visit me, proudly displaying their gifts. I envied them from the moment I saw the superior items the man had chosen to give to them. Anger rose within me. I began to look in vain for reasons why the man would want to give me such a terrible gift. It's quality paled in comparison to these exquisite pieces, representative of the man's love for them. I wouldn't show my friends what the man had given to me because I was so ashamed, but they thought it was because I didn't like them enough to share what the man had given me, so they left, saying they would never come back.

After my freinds had deserted me, lonliness overtook me in an overwhelming

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>