      Kathryn, Anne, Susan, and Julie all sat around Susanâs dining table, coffee mugs in hand, Christmas music softly streaming in the background.
      âHave any of you ladies started your Christmas shopping yet?â Julie asked.
      Kathryn laughed. âYou can bet Anne is already finished. Sheâs a master at gift-giving.â
      Anne shrugged. âI do my shopping throughout the year. Whenever Iâm inspired by something I see or something someone says, I act on it.â
      âThatâs one thing I love about you, Anne,â Kathryn said. âYou always pick the perfect gift.â
      âSpeaking of perfect gifts,â Susan said, âwhat is the best gift you ever received?â
      Silence descended across the table as the ladies considered their answers. Anne was the first to speak. âTwo years ago, Mark arranged for my mom to come and stay with the kids for two days. He took me away to a little rental cabin where we played board games by the fire, snowshoed around the woods, and focused on one another. I love my children dearly, but that break from cooking, cleaning, laundry, and parenting refreshed my soul and recharged our marriage.â
      âSo your best gift was a gift of thoughtfulness and time,â Kathryn said.
      Anne studied the brown liquid in her mug before answering. âYes. I believe it was.â She looked around the table. âWhat about you?â
           Julie bit her lip, deep in thought. âMy best gift was from my dad. Heâs a good man, but doesnât say much. When I moved out on my own for the first time, he handed me a giant cardboard box. In magic marker across the side, it read âStuff youâll need.â I started to open the box, but he shook his head and told me to open it when I got to my new apartment.â
      The other ladies leaned in closer. âWhat was in the box?â Susan asked.
      Julie laughed. âA toolbox with duct tape, hammer, nails, and everything else youâd need to fix minor issues, an emergency kit for the car with jumper cables, and a Bible with a note that read I wonât always be around to fix everything for you, but God will.â Julie took a sip of her coffee and gazed at her friends. âIâve used the tools, unfortunately needed the jumper cables last year, but the thing that meant the most in that box was the note in the Bible. That gift showed me my dad wanted to take care of me, but pointed me toward the One who could always help.â
      Anne blotted her eyes with a napkin and squeezed Julieâs arm. âThat is so sweet.â She turned to Kathryn. âYouâre next.â
     âThis is a hard question,â Kathryn said. âIf Iâd known there was going to be a test, I would have studied.â
           âHa ha,â Anne said. âYou never know what will come up we get together. Now start talking.â
      Kathryn rose from her chair and walked over toward the window, gazing out over the grass below, brown this time of year. She turned back toward the table and her eyes met each of her friendsâ.
           âYou all know I grew up without my dad. My mom did the best she could, but we never had much money. I was determined to get the best education possible, so Iâd never have to depend on someone else to get by. Science fascinated me, and I wanted to go to the best college I could in order to fulfill my dream of being a scientist. Problem was, college is expensive.â
      Julie nodded. âThatâs for sure.â
      Kathryn continued. âWhen I was a senior in high school, my guidance counsellor called me into his office. I figured he wanted to talk to me about what schools I planned to apply to. When I got there, my chemistry teacher was sitting there with him. I didnât know what to think.â She turned and faced the window again. A bright red cardinal flew to the bird feeder, its feathers a stark contrast to the drab browns around it.
     âThe year before, a girl in my school passed away from leukemia. She loved science as well and hoped one day to find a cure for her disease. Her parents had saved up money for her to attend college.â Kathryn walked back over to the table and reclaimed her seat. âHer parents asked the school if there were any other girls who wanted to pursue science that could use some financial help.â Tears filled Kathrynâs eyes. âThey paid for my college education as if I were their own daughter.â
      âWow, Kathryn,â Susan said. âYou never told us that before.â
      âIt never came up,â Kathryn said. âBut I still exchange Christmas cards with the family, telling them whatever I can about my career.â She turned to Susan. âThat leaves you. You started all this. Whatâs the best gift you ever received?â
      Susan smiled. âThatâs easy. A second chance.â
      Anneâs eyebrows raised. âGo on.â
      âI grew up in a loving Christian home. My parents were wonderful. I was a surprise, born to them in their 40s, eighteen years after my sister was born. They doted on me, but I wanted to do things my own way. I thought of them as smothering.â
      âIâve never heard you speak of your parents as anything but perfect,â Anne said.
      âI was a dumb teenager,â Susan said. âI grew up in the church, but never really accepted any of it for myself. I went each week to Sunday service and youth group, but it was mostly because it was expected of me. I cared about my parents and wanted to please them, but my heart wasnât really in it.â
      âWhat changed?â Julie asked.
      âMy best friend died in a car accident. I was supposed to be with her that day, but I woke up with terrible cramps and couldnât go.â Susan blew out a long breath. âI withdrew for a while after that. My parents didnât know what to do with me. One day, I answered the door to find my youth director Connie standing there. She took one look at me, with my unwashed hair and my sweatpants, and told me we were going out for milkshakes, no questions asked. The whole time we walked to the ice cream shop, I worried about what she would say.â
      Susan gazed at her friends. âIt was the hardest conversation I ever had in my entire life. She told me God saved me for a reason. That he loved Jenny too, but Jenny was in heaven with him now. Connie looked straight into my eyes and told me God didnât allow me to be in that car because I wouldnât be going to heaven.â
      Anne gasped. âI canât believe she said that.â
     Susan shook her head. âShe was right. I hadnât accepted Christ, so I wasnât headed to heaven. Connie sat there with me for an hour and a half, explaining how much God loved me. By the time she was done and the milkshakes were drained, Iâd poured out my heart and accepted Jesus. The gift she gave me that day, while on the surface was a milkshake, was actually eternal life.â
     The ladies were silent at that point, contemplating the precious gifts theyâd been given. Finally, Anne lifted her voice in prayer.
     âDear Father, thank you for the gifts youâve allowed us to receive. Thank you for the friendship of these dear ladies and the people youâve brought into our lives to help us become the women You want us to be. In Jesusâ name, Amen.â
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Dear God,
You are the source of all good gifts. Thank You for all the blessings Youâve given to us. Thank You for this season of giving, and help us to remember You are the reason for this season. As we choose gifts for others, please help us to remember the best ones cannot be bought in stores. In Jesusâ name, Amen.
How about you? What’s the best gift you’ve been given? Everyone who answers in the comments below will be entered into a drawing to win a free copy of my new release “Saved by A Christmas Angel!”
The best gift I have been given is when God blessed me with children and made me a mom. God is so amazing and so good! When I think of the intricacies of our bodies and how everything works together I am in complete awe of God.
Being a mom is truly a wonderful gift! I agree. Our bodies are so amazingly complicated. No doubt in my mind we were created by an incredible God.
The best gift I ever received was my daughter KT at 32 and my twin boys, David & Drew when I was 36.
Children are such a blessing! You’ve been triply blessed!
Thereâs not one best gift for me. God has blessed me with precious friends and family. Church, teaching, neighbors, sisters, children and my husband are always there for me. When I really contemplate what Heâs done for me, itâs overwhelming.
The best gift Iâve received is when God was watching out for my family, my husband, my son, my sonâs girlfriend, and her dog, Max, earlier this month and let all four of them survive, after getting carbon monoxide poisoning. Iâve truly been blessed, as theyâve all been released from the hospital and the vet and are now home recovering. God is so good!
I’m so glad to hear God watched over them. Sometimes the best gift is appreciating the blessings we already have. I’m sure you’re extra grateful for your relationship with all of them now.
The best gift Iâve received is Jesus dieing for my sins and accepting me into his family
Amen! It’s sometimes amazing to me that God wants me to be part of His family, but I’m so grateful He does!
The best gift I received was when I was a little boy I could not walk than God given me the power to walk
Wow, John, that’s amazing. What a blessing! I’d like to hear more of your story.
The Best Gift I ever received was my late Husband, He passed away this past June, and I will forever miss him, but I know he is safe and at peace with God. God Brought him into my life and he was truly the best gift I ever received. I know I will see him again one day.
I’m sorry for your loss but so glad to hear you had such a special marriage. What a comfort to know you’ll be together in heaven someday.
The best gift I have been given was a needlepoint pillow my mom made when I was away at college. It has always been special but even more so since my mom died last month.
That is a special memory to have of your mom. You can always think of the time she spent making it for you. I’m sorry for your loss.
The best gifts I have ever received is the birth of the Lord, Jesus Christ who came to save me from my sins. The other gift is my husband. We became engaged on December 12. Thank you for the opportunity.
Two wonderful things to be grateful for!
My best gift was a family ring.
Family heirlooms are always special.
My best gift is my wife & daughter.
Agreed – family is a wonderful blessing!
One of my best gifts I have received is when my âadoptedâ adult daughter asked me to be her âMomâ. I have Thanked God everyday for her. Then she asked me to be Grandma! đ it a very special daughter, son-in-love & grandson relationship.
Glad to hear you have such a wonderful relationship. Adopted families are just as special!
The gift of life… God saved my family as we drove out through a wall of flames in the bushfires taking nothing but the cars we were in and the clothes on our backs only then to have the neighbours turn against us because they were jealous of our faith and trust in God…
God saved us that night – He didn’t have to but He did… â¤
Wow – that’s scary. I’m sorry you had to experience that. I’m sure it was life changing! Glad to hear your trust in God saw you through.
The best gift I have received was a second chance at life. In 2018, the day before Thanksgiving, I had a bleeding ulcer and was in the ICU getting my 11th blood transfusion & an artery ruptured in my stomach. I went into cardiac arrest & flatlined for 2 minutes & they had to rush me into emergency surgery to stop the bleeding to save me. God decided he didn’t need me that day & that my kids needed me more. I’m truly grateful to be alive & to be given the gift of life.
So glad you got a second chance! I’m sure that experience changed your entire life outlook. When we look at life as a gift, we tend to appreciate everything more.
The best gift I received is Jesus being with me and helping me through the loss of my husband in 2009. I was so grateful that Jesus help me and showed me that my new life was going to be okay because my husband was in heaven and free of pain . My relationship with Jesus grew closer and deeper .
Karen,
Thank you also for the short story this week and I am excited for your Christmas novella coming out. I appreciate your time and everything that you do in your writings because I love reading each of them. You always lift me up and encourage me . I am thankful for you. Have a blessed week.
I’m so glad to hear Jesus comforted you in the death of your husband. What a comfort to know he is at peace and you will one day see him again.
My husband and son found a mug with a Boston Terrier on it. My family had a Boston Terrier when I was a teen.