Meaningful Gifts

We all know that the best gifts are free. Better than any material gift are the things that can't be bought, the things that last eternally:  the love of family, the joy of friendship, the warmth of togetherness.

That said, sometimes material gifts are meaningful too, not because they are big or extravagant or expensive, but rather because they are carefully chosen and personal and just exactly right.

I was blessed with a few of these this Christmas.

1. Eli gave me a car window decal with the "BYU-Idaho Mom" logo. I already have decals on my van from Whitman College (Luke), Westminster College (Shulamith and Isaiah), and Indiana University (Luke - grad school). I have wanted one from BYU-Idaho ever since the fall of 2011, when Eli attended there the first time, the semester prior to his mission. I am so excited to add this new decal to my van window and so grateful to Eli for remembering how much I wanted it.

2. Luke and Desiree gave me Jeffrey R. Holland's newest book, To My Friends, Messages of Counsel and Comfort, such a thoughtful gift because they know Elder Holland is one of my favorites of the "Fab 15." This little book is divided into 21, short, independent chapters, making it the perfect bedtime read. I love it already.

3. Isaiah, with guidance from Shulamith, gave me a beautiful silver mother's necklace with charms engraved with the initials of each of my five children. Well, you can just see for yourself how lovely it is:

5.  Mathew bought me a soft, salmon-colored, thermal shirt, stretchy and super comfortable. I love the shirt; really I do, but even more, I love that he thought to go get it by himself, without Shulamith even. So nice.

5.  Gerald gave me a cozy, warm sweater in my favorite color, red. It is so comfy, especially now that we are experiencing temperatures that remind me of when I lived in Montana.

I don't think any of these gifts was bank-breaking expensive, but each is incredibly meaningful nonetheless. Each represents that someone cared enough to know me, and to know specifically what I would like.

Yes, the best gifts are free. That is true for sure. But these ones are awfully nice too.