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Random Thoughts: Gifts sometimes intangible

A gift is a thing to appreciate and enjoy. When it comes wrapped in colorful paper and tied with bright colored ribbons it is a joy to behold. Gifts come in many sizes. Some are large, some are small.

Once I received a small box. I thought there was going to be something wonderful inside — you know good things come in small packages. Opening it with great expectations, I found it empty, except for a note saying, "To the woman who has everything." Not true — I don't have everything.

In thinking of gifts without monetary value, how about sunshine bouncing through the leaves on the tree by the window, or bright green grass after a rain, a baby's tiny hand holding tightly around your little finger, a friendly pat on the back. How about things you see every day but never stop to think about them, flowers of different design, color, and fragrance. As a child in country school, at recess in the spring we would go out in the yard and look for Johnny jump-ups or tiny violets.

I have just read a wonderful "poem" by a lady I don't know. She tells about how she loves to see clothes hanging on the line. "My rayon dress doing a two-step with my lace-edged slip." Then there are the sheets whipped by the wind, making you think of the billowing sails on a sailboat.

My great-granddaughter Taylor, while visiting me was so excited. She had never seen clothes hung on a line before, so I enlisted her in the task. It was a fun experience for both of us.

— NORMA HANNAFORD

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