The Exquisitely Thoughtful and Personal Gift

My friend Alyssa saw a post on the internet about a woman who wanted to give away a box of 1970s ties.  They were left over from an art project where she had collected hundreds of ties and then quilted them into a memorial gift.  She decided on a lottery to decide who to give them to and Alyssa won. 

She entered the lottery because she knew how much I would love this addition to my already substantive collection of ties from the past (alternately a collection of ties *to* the past).  

So I knew nothing of this great gift until it arrived unexpectedly, an early Christmas gift.  There's something extraordinary about a gift from someone who not only knows you and appreciates you but also puts an enormous effort into giving you a gift that reflects that love and support.  One year during the month of Valentines Lynn made hearts that arrived on my desk every morning listing a different quirky part of me that was...apparently loveable.  Another year, Alyssa remembered that I had always dreamed of writing a book for a person for a Christmas present?  AND SHE WROTE ONE to me.  My brother Daniel once had a photograph that I had accidentally taken but loved and had it turned into a canvas piece of art that has forever since hung on my walls.  When I was a child, my mother made me a blanket that was covered with ships and maps and destinations and since her grandchildren have started to graduate from high school she has invited them each to choose colors and patterns that they love and then made them the most gorgeous and utterly unique quilts.  

The personal and extravagant thoughtful gift - expensive in time and intention instead of money - is such a rare but memorable occasion.  It's one of the the things I really value.