Hello Gorgeous,
It's my favorite time of the day in the blog and the 12 Days of Gifts and Giving. It's time to encourage you!
This is a great short story from
Mark Hoog. Read and enjoy. Then encourage one another!
In 1993 I received the gift of a lifetime as I sat with my wife,
brother, sister, and parents for our holiday gift exchange. This year
was unique as, in only a few months, both my brother and I would become
first time fathers. I looked at the stack of gifts to be exchanged and
noticed one out of place box in the pile. It was a mid-size, beat up
box, with wrapping paper of all sizes and colors taped randomly to it. I
recognized it as the handy work of my brother who then reached for the
sloppily wrapped package, carried it in my direction and set it on my
lap asking, “Mark, if there was one gift- just one gift- you could give
your child, what would it be?”
I was speechless. Money? A house? A car? My mind raced. What did
my brother stuff in this sad looking little box? My mind drifted to the
intangibles I hoped my unborn child would possess. I wanted my son or
daughter to believe the canvas of life could hold a picture of unlimited
potential and the brush to create it was firmly in the hand of the
painter.
I wanted to make sure everything I did helped my child build a
foundation of possibility. But how? The words,
“Encouragement is oxygen
to the soul” flashed through my mind. In that moment I realized my
answer and told my brother that, through my parenting, I wanted to offer
encouragement and help my child develop strong self-esteem.
The gift was never in the box…it was in the question. I realize now
the perfect gift is not always held by the perfect box or wrapped in
colorful paper. Sometimes the gift is that which encourages us to think
about the contribution we make to the world around us.
Mark Hoog is a nationally recognized speaker, a bestselling
author and the Executive Director of the Children's Leadership
Institute. www.markhoog.com
This story originally appeared on
Bella Spark. Please visit the
website to read more encouraging and uplifting stories!
Remember: you are beautiful!
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