A recent highlight of 2014 for Hubby and me was the visit of our sister-in-law and her three daughters. It's been more than a decade since we last saw her and more years than that since we saw our nieces. The few days they spent with us were filled with joy, tears, laughter and more shopping trips than I can remember in the past ten years, let alone in four days. They left behind a big hole in our heart, a hole we are determined to refill by keeping in touch on a regular basis.
But one of those four left something else behind. Whether intentionally or not, I became the possessor of a lovely gift of delightfully delicate Vanilla Body Wash. It's so subtle that no one has mentioned "a fragrance" (and believe me, I'm very conscious of not bringing discomfort to those who suffer from allergic reactions to fragrances). It's just plain soothing. While I am not in the habit of treating myself to such things, I admit I am thoroughly enjoying the luxury of it all, enjoying soaking in the extravagance of kindness.
There are at least two scenarios to the matter of leaving things behind. It can be an forgotten item, an oversight precipitated by a memory lapse at a busy time, or the execution of well-planned act. Knowing these family members, I tend to think it was the latter; they are known for making regular deposits of kindness.
I have been blessed over the years by many people who not only demonstrate kindness on a regular basis, their presence is marked by an aura of love and grace.
"Now thanks be to God who always leads us to triumph in Christ and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place." 2 Corinthians 2:14
There's no better gift!
