“What do you want for
Christmas?” There was static on
the line again. I was sure the cell
phones that we had come to depend on immensely would disconnect yet again. There my sister was on the other phone line
in California. Here I was in New
York. Miles and states away and
separated from one another, but we were fortunate enough and overly dependent
on technology to hear voices, send/receive text messages, and, maybe once in
the very blue moon, FaceTime. My sister asked what
I wanted for Christmas almost every year.
One year, I managed to give her and my parents a superficial short list:
stickers, stationary, teas, and anything with food. As I have gotten older, I have become more
practical by announcing to them via email: “Well, just get me an Amazon.com gift
card or money so I can buy what I want to buy.
No need to get me anything from ‘Land’s End’ or “L.L. Bean.’” ‘L.L. Bean’ and ‘Land’s End’ were the running
jokes in the Wu crew household around the holidays because Papa Wu loved both companies
and would eagerly buy items from there for all of us. However, with my one statement of logic, the
element and magic of surprise disappeared during Christmas of the gifts that we
now knew we were getting. Has that
happened to your family and you as you have all gotten older that you all are
about logical and practical rather than sentimental and surprises? Over the years, Papa
Wu has announced, “Less is more. We have
too much stuff and are throwing out and getting rid of the stuff. Let us give less things and gifts and enjoy
more time together.” More time together, I
thought. If only we could really buy
time. I tried to rewind back in time of
my Christmas wish lists when I was a little girl. Growing up, I barely remember any having a
Christmas wish list of gifts or ever even sitting on Santa Claus’ lap to
whisper what I wanted. My memory is
truly awful, but it really comes down to this:
There were never any ‘things’ that beckoned my insistence for my loved
ones and my greatest love and enjoyment came out of the gift itself revealing
what the person knew or thought about me and our original relationship. Were there ever any gifts you received that
surprised you to joy or shocked you to dismay?
More than that, what
I truly want and wish for cannot be purchased at any store or bought on any
Black Friday off the Internet: More time and moments with my loved ones and for
myself and more peace and good health for my loved ones and myself and even this
world that is heavily hurting—‘things’ that are priceless and that no amount of
money can truly buy. I guess I am harder
to shop for than I thought. Overly the crackly
phone line and before the phone line would disconnect, I said to my sister: “The older I get, I want less things and more
moments.” My sister said, “You
sound like Dad. He says the same thing.” I have not changed
much since I was a little girl. I really
cannot think of any things that I truly want.
If anything, I want ‘any given moment,’ because any and every moving
moment is a gift that always gives something to us and our lives. These little moments end up being larger
than life and making up our masterpiece life. The truth is that life changes at 'any given moment' and it is all the little and seemingly insignificant moments end up as the most
significant the most life-affirming and life-transforming impact as the
greatest gifts. Did you ever have
Christmas wish lists growing up? When
have you experienced something so small (material or non-material) that ended
up being so big to larger than life? How
have your wishes or gifts changed as you have gotten older? What wishes have you made or had only to
conclude that any given moment ‘gives’ more than anything? Keep smilin’ until we
meet again, Mary ;-) |
 |
||||||||||||
 
|
|
 |
||||||||||
    |
||||||||||||
