Today during our Christmas Blog Party, welcome RJ Thesman, Author of the “Life at Cove Creek” series.
She shares a special memory of a special gift. Below the post she has a gift for you…just for stopping by.
The package under the tree was wrapped in tissue paper, wound with a red ribbon. Obviously not a carefully-constructed box, it bulged out in contrast to the other colorful sacks and bows. With no tag on it, no one knew exactly who the present belonged to or from where it came.
But when it was my turn to open a gift, Dad reached under the tree and lifted the heavy object. Then he placed it in front of me. He and Mom smiled at each other as if they shared a mystery.
“This was so much fun,” Mom said. “We can hardly wait. Go on! Open it!”
In a few swift movements, I unwrapped the gift, then squealed in delight.
My husband and I had just bought an old fixer-upper and we were busy remaking it into our perfect home. With large rooms, tall ceilings and pocket doors made of oak – it was the perfect place to display our growing collection of antiques.
Mom and Dad knew I was looking for an antique telephone to hang on the wall in the parlor. But I hadn’t been able to find one I could afford or one that was in decent condition.
But here it was, sitting in front of me on the farmhouse floor – the perfect gift from my parents.
Mom explained, “We found the shell at one store, but so many pieces were missing – we didn’t want to buy it. Then Dad decided we should make a sort of scavenger hunt out of it.” She looked at Dad and squeezed his hand. He grinned back at her.
“So we drove all over Oklahoma to various antique stores and flea markets. We found the receiver at one place and the bells at another. We finally had all the pieces we needed. Then Dad took it into the garage to glue and screw everything together. He sanded it and I varnished it.”
She repeated, “It was so much fun, and it turned out great.”
I gave them each a hug and thanked them over and over for all the time they had invested in my gift. But I could tell they received much more than they gave.
The telephone fit perfectly on the parlor wall in that old house. Visitors often noticed it and commented, so I had the opportunity to tell the story many times.
Since that Christmas, life has changed. The old house sold, and I moved to another town. My father struggled with dementia for ten years, then graduated to heaven in 2004. Mom is now living the Alzheimer’s journey. She has no recollection of that special gift given so many Decembers ago.
But I still have the phone. It sits on the floor in my guest room, like a sentinel of another time – a memorable image of Christmas past. And every time I see it, I think of my parents – of the fun they had piecing together a gift for their eldest child, then waiting to see my delight when I opened it.
Christmas is made for memories and for the family joys of the season. That antique phone has accompanied me to several different locations, but always and forever – it brings me back to that one Christmas morning and the smiles of my parents.
Do you still own a gift that fills your heart with memories every time you look at it?
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For todays giveaway, RJ has provided a download for everyone who stops by.
Click on the title to download: 7 Tiips for the Caregiver from the Heart of Rev G
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How can a minister fulfill her calling when she can barely remember the order of the Minor Prophets? When Reverend G hears the devastating diagnosis – dementia with the possibility of early-onset Alzheimer’s – she struggles with the pain of forgetting those she loves and the fear of losing her connection with God. With the help of her friends at the assisted living facility, Bert, a farmer from Oklahoma, Roxie, the stressed-out activities director and Gabriel, a cat with the gift of forecasting death, she soon discovers there’s humor to be found in forgetting part of the Lord’s Prayer, finding her iron in the freezer and losing a half-gallon of ice cream. And she discovers that while the question she wants to ask is, ‘Why,’ the answer really is, ‘Who.’ – (2012 Grace Award finalist)
Best deal to get your copies now: Sign up for CrossRiver Media Newsletter, then you can purchase all 3 of the Reverand G books at 40% off – if ordered directly from them before December 24th. Visit this blog post at CrossRiver Media for the sale code to use when you place your order.
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RJ Thesman has been a writer since she flipped open her Red Chief tablet and scribbled her first story. Thesman is a Certified Life Coach, a Biblical Counselor and a Stephen Minister. As the author of “The Life at Cove Creek Series,” published by CrossRiver Media, Thesman has completed the trilogy about the gutsy little minister, Reverend G, who struggles through Alzheimer’s but keeps her faith. Thesman has over 700 publishing credits in various magazines and her work is included in 14 compilations, including 5 Chicken Soup books. She is the mother of an adult son and enjoys reading, gardening and cooking – especially anything with blueberries. Thesman lives in the heartland of Kansas with her son and an elderly cat.
