Presents vs. Presence

Growing up we are taught that buying things for any holiday is a very important part of life. We do this to show affection or to prove a point of some sort. Sometimes we give presents just to give presents. Sometimes it is what the holiday is all about. Children look forward to their birthday's and Christmas because they know that they will get presents or that they get to go pick out a special present with a family member. It becomes a tradition. It comes to a time in our lives where we just expect it. We expect to get presents for our birthday's or for Christmas. We even try to out do other people in their present buying to be the favorite aunt, uncle or grandparent. It seems to me that we are covering up something far more meaningful when we buy material gifts. Other things are laid on the table but we just don't see them. They are casually brushed aside by presents and toys. They are pushed in a corner until the aftermath of the materialistic things subsides.
We all rely on materialistic things to make us happy at some point in our lives. Whether it's as a child, a teenager, an adult, or an elderly person. We have a tendency to rub our possessions in the faces of others who don't have them or can't afford the particular items. Everyone in some point of their lives is guilty of it.

There comes a point in some people's lives when enough is enough. When it isn't about the material things or the material gifts that we receive. There comes a time when we ache for something more. Sometimes it's a pat on the back for a job well done. Sometimes it's a hug because we're appreciated. Sometimes it's a verbal acknowledgment that we are loved or liked in some way. These in all of the physical world are the most important gifts anyone could receive. These gifts are the ones you cherish and remember in the years to come. It's not the necklace or toy or shirt someone gave you. It's the fact that we are surrounded by people who like us. We are surrounded by people who love us. We are surrounded by people who want to be around us. The most important thing in the world is to be surrounded by people who want to be with you because you mean something to them. It's about spending time with our children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. It's seeing their firsts in their lives. It's seeing the great grades and accomplishments they have achieved. It is getting to know them for who they are, rather than keeping them in the past where it was convenient to leave them. It's about watching another generation grow up in front of our eyes and helping them to see what the world truly means. It's not about presents or cards. It's about the phone calls, the sleepovers, the time spent together. If we choose not to take part of that as our children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews grow, we do not know what our future will hold. We won't know what kind of citizens will be a part of the earth in 20 years. If we choose not to spend time with our loved ones, we are losing out on the most precious things.... Their lives. If we choose to stop spending time with loved ones who are young and focus on other things, we stop getting to know our future and what someday it will all be about.

The most important presents aren't the materialistic ones but the spiritual and physical presence of everyone around us. So stop gossiping about our neighbors. Stop judging people we don't know. Stop jumping to conclusions about things you don't know about.Remember people can change. Lives can change.. Stop buying the materialistic things and spend your time more on the physical and spiritual things.

Have a good night. I know I will

Aunt B.