Today, I’d ask you to think back and remember the last special gift you received that was not wrapped in paper or in a box.

As a qualifier to the words “last special gift,” it was something that you didn’t ask for or was given to you without any foreknowledge that someone wanted to bless you.

Allow me to tell you a true story of a special gift I received in 1989 while on a deployment to Thailand.  My special gift did not come wrapped in paper or in a box.  I received a special gift from a Monk who blessed me with a pendant.  The Monk called me over to where he was sitting and held out his hand as if to shake my hand and placed a small pendant into my hand that could also be worn around the neck.  He gave it to me after he found out that was the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) and for the act of goodwill that he witnessed.  I decided to give all the Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), several cases that we did not need to take back to Hawaii to the people in the village which had plenty of shelf life on them.

MREs are self-contained meal kits designed to provide nutrition for individuals in situations where traditional food service is not available.

I made this decision knowing that the area I was in made less than $1000 a year and was very poor.

You can see from the chart in 1989 the average GDP for Thailand was $1,330 which is not much at all.

The rural location that I was in, was several hours aways from Bangkok, the Capital of Thailand.

Thailand GDP 1960-2024 | MacroTrends

I still have the pendant and took it out yesterday as a reminder of how blessed I am.

It would be 35 years later that someone called me over to give me something without any foreknowledge.

On Saturday, September 14, 2024, after I had finished my usual praying of the Rosary before the 5:PM Mass, I was given a special gift.

I had just spoken to the Priest in the small sanctuary where we pray as a team if you are a Lector and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) required for Mass.  I was not needed and decided to put my Rosary back in my car.  As I proceeded to walk back into the main sanctuary, this gentleman met me at the door that I’ve known and said I have something for you.

Ironically, he also attended the Rosary.  Without giving his name, I will tell you that I met him and his family when I first joined the church in 2019.

His words to me were, “I want you to have this, and I believe that you will enjoy reading it as I continue to read it.”

Although I know he is still grieving the loss of his wife and has returned to attend Mass, his act of kindness is beyond words.

He also said that he was so passionate about this book that he bought several copies to give away to friends.

The title of the book is “Hearing God’s Voice” by Father Mark Burger.

I felt honored and humbled to be called his friend.

I also asked him to autograph it for me and put the date he gave it to me.   As his hands were shaking, he told me his writing was not the best; however, he agreed as I reached into my coat jacket for the pen.

Little did I know it would be 35 years since I received another special gift with any foreknowledge.

I know it’s not often that I am given a special gift not wrapped in paper or a box.

When I woke up last Saturday morning, (September 14, 2024) I had no idea of how I would be blessed in so many ways.

My blessings this weekend also had an added twist when I listened to the homily of my Priest as he spoke about Alexander and Rufus, the children of Simon the Cyrenian. Two names that I reacquainted myself with inside of the Bible.

The Priest spoke about commitment, sacrifice, and discipleship.

I’m big on the principles of giving of ourselves and not to ourselves which is why his words of “commitment, sacrifice, and discipleship” was an important lesson for me this past weekend.

Every day you and I learn various life lessons, and I can’t imagine Simon’s sons learning a greater lesson than seeing their father being forced to carry the cross for Jesus.

Each of us has our cross to carry daily, yet when we hear of others carrying their cross or having a cross to bear, we only hear the stories during the Easter season.

As you think about your specific faith remember (2 Peter 2:16) “Our faith is still faith–it is not yet sight–and yet, it is not blind.”

Who Were Rufus And Alexander? Why Are They In The Bible? | Reformedish (derekzrishmawy.com)

Who Was Simon of Cyrene and Why Did He Carry Jesus’ Cross? (biblestudytools.com)

What gifts do you keep close to your heart and what have you learned in the process of receiving them?

“Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.” ~ Boris Pasternak