Now that takes a lot of thought. I have received beautiful gifts of jewelry from my husband. He gave me a first edition of "Margaret's Story", a Eugenia Price book that I love. Santa gave me my beautiful dolls when I was a child. My parents gave me a set of luggage when I finished high school. One year in high school I got a stereo record player and spent most of Christmas day in my room listening to "Bread" albums. Those are all gifts that I remember being special (they must be; most days I can't remember what I had for lunch the day before!)
Then I remembered a birthday gift I received from my mom a few years ago...my grandmother's Bible.
My grandmother was a tremendous woman of faith. She raised eight children. She was married to a farmer who grew tobacco and took it into town to sell. They had a garden to grow a lot of their food. She didn't have a lot of material things but she knew God personally, attended church faithfully, and lived her belief each day. A few years after my grandmother died, my mom had that Bible rebound and gave it to me with a note that said "she thought Grandma would want me to have it".
I cherish that Bible, thinking of my grandmother reading it each day. The greater gift, however, is knowing those values were passed along to me. I grew up in the church with loving, Christian parents and an extended church family that was always there for me. I grew up with that love, and I think the gift I hope to leave behind is that same love passed along to my children and grandchildren. Maybe even my Bible....
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