Think back to the priceless gifts you have received over time. which ones strike your mind immediately? Probably not the most expensive gifts in terms of monetary value But those ones priceless in terms of the Efforts and thoughts put in. This is a leaf out of my memory about one such gift I received.
A few months back one night when I was getting down from the car after dinner my Husband surprised me by bringing out a gift from the car trunk. It turned out to be a Paper Lantern.
A PAPER LANTERN FROM GOODWILL, Precisely.
I was very surprised to see it, He had hidden in the car trunk for few weeks. I was thoroughly elated when we stood in our apartment parking lot, lighted it and let it go. It Probably cost him only a couple of dollars but it had me Lying in the bed that night Grinning into the pillow like a Cheshire cat.
The overwhelming feeling was not for just the lantern but because of what the lantern summarized.
Being a very talkative person, sometimes I feel that I talk his ears off. When I launch into a passionate rant about something that is dear to me, I really go to town. I feel sometimes his eyes just glaze over LOL.So I never expected him nor anyone to remember the small details or things I said on the go.
One such time I was telling him about how Tangled is one of my ‘Go-To feel good Movies ‘ And Gushing about how charming Flynn is, how cute Maximus’s expressions are, yadda yadda yadda. I had told him when I watched the movie in the theatre for the first time I was totally mesmerized by the lantern scene. It was really beautiful the way they drift off in the air like a ball of light and I want to fly a lantern like that at least once.
Many months after that conversation, though he did not go avidly searching for it when He came across the lantern when we were browsing in goodwill he remembered my fondness for it. While I was engrossed in the books section he billed it alone first and hit it inside his coat while billing with me. He later hid it in the Car, waiting for some occasion to gift it.
On that Particular day, it was an auspicious day in my state in South India (Tamil Nadu) where after prayers they light up entire houses with Diyas (mud lamps lighted with oil) and have sweets. Recently having moved to the US, I was saying how I missed the joy of lighting up the house. So he thought that this was a good day to show it to me.
He held out the lantern to me and told me that "I remembered you wanted to fly a lantern after watching Tangled movie so I had bought this before and was waiting for an occasion. Today though in India they celebrate with Lamps, you can celebrate it here in the US with a Chinese Lantern"
I was dumbstruck because I never expected him to remember all the little things in our conversations, the only thing running in my mind was, “He Listened, He Listened, He remembered !!!!”
Diya Lamps lit all over the houses:
The Paper Lantern:
This overwhelmed me because how much thought my hubby had put into it. It meant that Even my silliest dreams mattered to him!! He tries to make it happen as much as he can. When I miss my home or feel sad he tries his best to cheer me up.
His Own Excitement while presenting the lantern showed me how much my little happiness means to him. He was so happy that he is making me happy.
As I stood there Open Jawed, I knew Ill cherish in my heart the memory of him standing before me, So excited, shuffling legs and chest puffed with his Boyish grin trying not to look too proud of himself. The image is imprinted forever in my mind.
I’ll cherish that image as much as I cherish the memory of the Ball of Light gently being lifted up from my hands by the wind and dancing away its way up in the starry sky
to be one among the stars...
If you want to give a dear one truly the greatest gift of their lifetime do not search in the hallways of a mall, believing spending many a dime will get the perfect gift. The greatest gift you can give to someone is to Listen, to give your attention wholly when you give them your time...search in the hallways of their minds, nook and corners of their hearts for the ones labeled as unspoken, silly, small, discarded desires and spend some effort. there you will find the unforgettable gift for them...
*~*~ VinuRam ~*~*