A funeral home in a town where I was the pastor of a Disciples congregation usually sent to local clergy a huge gift basket at Christmas.  It was nice to receive, but I admit I wondered about the reason it was sent.  Was the owner, Bob, appreciative of pastors in general?  Was it an inducement to recommend his services to grieving families?   Was it a deductible business expense that gave him a desired tax break?  I don’t know.  I just remember being surprised the first year I received his gift. 

I also was surprised to learn from Bob a year or two later that when he changed his approach and instead made donations to a charitable organization in the names of the pastors, who were notified by the charity, he received negative feedback from some of my colleagues.  Bob seemed truly perplexed as he told me about it.  He thought he was honoring us by supporting a worthy cause.  I guess some of the ministers really wanted that basket of goodies. 

The next year, they got it. 

Gift giving can be a tricky business.  Meanings are attached to and derived from what is given, how it is given, its value, and the reciprocal expectations it may carry.  Many gifts are really tokens, items with no real function or use other than to let the recipient know they were remembered on their special occasion.  Sometimes it’s just easier to write a check than to put actual thought into what might be offered as a gift.   

Those who receive the gift may or may not express gratitude or appreciation, and the writing of thank you notes is becoming virtually a lost practice.  We have to admit, that although a gift honors the other person, our willingness to repeat the act in the future is tempered by the response we do or do not receive.  Human dynamics get complicated sometimes. 

Each day really is a gift from God:  the air we breathe, the sunshine or rain, food, laughter, opportunities, everything that comes our way.  It’s fortunate for us, really, that our level of gratitude, as expressed through our prayers or simply through the ways we use our time and interact with others, doesn’t determine whether there will be a tomorrow. 

God’s love is characterized by lots of patience, it seems to me.