Funny how seeing an old photo can evoke a memory. In this case, I happened to run across a picture of my mother, sitting in our home at Christmas, one year. She has scissors in hand, ready to carefully and painstakingly open a gift, all the while asking why anyone would have to use that much tape. Of course, everyone would want her to just rip off the paper so that we could get on with the exchange of holiday presents.
She took her time. I always suspected that her behavior was intended to be aggravating. In retrospect, I don’t think that was true. She grew up at a time when gift wrap was very special, and one never knew when there would be a chance to buy more. The paper was cut off with tender loving care, so that the good parts could be saved to wrap gifts other gifts.
My thought about that coincides with another thought I had this very morning. I had been wanting to buy some new flannel sheets. Of course, I can “make do” with what I have. It was just a notion to buy new ones. Out of the blue, I remembered the phrase, “Waste not, want not,” which translated in my brain meant, “Save money. Use what you have.”
In looking back, I can see the lessons that my mother imparted by her behavior, like savoring the joy of a gift and delaying just a little bit more in order to let anticipation rise. In saving the paper, there is a sense of both faith and hope, and the idea that there will be yet another occasion in which to give a gift. Add to that a sense of charity, in that the paper will be employed to wrap a gift for someone else. My mother was also environmentally correct long before that was fashionable. Save the paper. Save the forest.
So many lessons from just one photo!
Patricia Cummings
[...] wpman had some great ideas on this topic.You can read a snippet of the post here.Funny how seeing an old photo can evoke a memory. In this case, I happened to run across a picture of my mother, sitting in our home at Christmas, one year. She has scissors in hand, ready to carefully and painstakingly open a gift, … [...]