Gift for Words by Tommia Wright

It’s interesting, listening about television ads after Christmas:

‘get the gift you really want’ or

‘see what everyone else got that you didn’t get’ or

‘to really know they cared about you, they would have given you this.’

When I was a kid, the one gift I wanted more than anything else was a brother or sister. Granted, ‘young logic’ never thought through the challenges of why getting an ‘older sibling’ could be impossible, or how long one had to wait to get a  younger sibling (never mind the ‘how’ to begin with). Most friends I knew had one, so I wanted one, too.

I ‘settled’ for puzzle games, relatives’ ‘good intentions’ and books (that latter winning almost every single time, the first one handy for ‘time out’ and the second one…well, even now there are times when it’s the thought behind the gift that matters (and means the) most. The older I get, the happier I am with time I have with family.

I have a splendid, strong-minded sibling I wouldn’t trade for anything or anyone. And he and my sister-in-law know me like a book. The above item was a gift given this year.

Do I worry about lacking the ‘latest items/fads/gadgets/whatever?’ No. They are things.

You don’t need to put a ribbon on hugs.