Gifts of the Season

I've noticed that each arriving Christmas grows a little sadder than the year before when I acknowledge those friends and family who are no longer here. Rather than dwell in the sadness, I'm reminded of the gifts that each of these loved ones gave me in their life times and for these I thank them:

Glenn Franklin George, my father, for the gift of gratitude

Margaret Wright Hewitt, my grandmother, for the gift of dignity

Myrtle George Nase, my aunt, for the gift of kindness

Marion Sullivan Straubel, my mother-in-law, for the gift of endurance

Mary Lou Lynch George, my sister-in-law, for the gift of compassion

Susan Elizabeth Bello, my friend, for the gift of courage

In this season when many of us race around buying gifts, impatient and tense, we sometimes forget that the greatest gifts of all are those that last forever.