Lost art of Gift Giving

Exercise #24
A person is choosing a gift for another person. What objects draw the gift giver? What thoughts and memories pass through his or her head? Does the giver reject the first several items? Or see the perfect thing immediately?

She is looking for a birthday gift. Isn’t that the most common gift one has to purchase?
“I should be very good at this by now”, she thought. Yes, I am.
After so many years of gift giving, shouldn’t one develop expert skills in choosing and presenting The Birthday Gift?

“Why do I never know what to get?!” and she calls me.

I laughed.

“She has great ideas but too many questions and I am now utterly confused.” she just doesn’t have the head for this. One needs to have a maze of a mind.

She gets dressed,”Wear something comfortable, light weight shoes and a small handbag so that it wont weigh me down. Keys, wallet.” and she is out the door.
Choose a mall I had began. Today, it will be the one nearest her Doctor.

“Ok best to start asking myself some of those questions Shireen asked me.”
What kinda of person is he? What’s his Category?
“Office guy. Okay… this is going somewhere…”
What kind of Tone is he?
“He is middle range? What is my budget? $50 cause I owe him a treat too. This should cover that. What do I remember about him…”

“We met through an introduction. He was a smile – er.” He smiled too much she told me. He had perfect teeth, a great body and a handsome face.
Suspicious.
“Why would a guy smile that much?”
Second meeting, at the boot of the car when she flew in, memories of football, cursives and beer drinking. She got used to his smile-ling.

“He is now an office guy. Office Shirt, I know! He needed office gear! He needed the I-look-professional look! What is that? Where do I go?” Mens’ Department or Marks. “Ok only two stops and then I am done. No long hours of wandering, quick, sharp, in and out purchase.”

Mens’ Department
Shoes. “Whoa leather shoes.” One should never buy a friend shoes. They walk out of your life.
Belts. “Yuck.”
Ties. Yes thats a good plan. “Why are there one million ties? What colour does he like or does he wear?” Forget it, too many options.
Bags. “Price not within budget”. “Ah cufflinks! ok. Thats it! I got used to his smile- er smiles.” She said,
“I even trust them now!”

Oh

It is his birthday. I will write him a card.

Shelter

There was a time when I said to myself. Forget where you live. Just this shelter will do. And I made that little bed my space. And that space grew around the edges to form the Bedside. And in that Bed and that Bedside, I found my safe place. It was quiet and there I layed with tears and sleep. Dreams hardly came then, for there was no cause but a new peace from the exhaustion of finding that space.

Then the day came when that bed had to be returned, as a new guest needed that space.

I found a room with a huge window out of which I could look to the sea, the ships and their stories and songs. I loved my new cave. It had a bedroom floor and a desk basked in light each new day. My struggling silence found its voice.

But that space also became smaller and smaller as the days passed. I was ready again. Again. To talk to another, to live with another, to share a table, a kitchen and most of all, share a TV couch.

And the space grew and pushed at the walls of my heart and made more and more space… and the space took the shape and size of another being.

That’s not bacon

In my mind, I think about a lot of things that needs to be done. How things lay there waiting to be done in.

In my mind, I waited for the right time. I didn’t know what the right time was. What complicated alignment of stars I had to look out for.

I had to face it, I knew. So to help me along, I wrote on a purple post it. So that perhaps it wont be too cold.

Go see the Doc.

He made me feel safe. He would take care of those other things waiting to be done…He would take care of me.

My Valentine

Not a red rose or a satin heart

My Valentine

by Carol Ann Duffy

Not a red rose or a satin heart

I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of love.

Here.
It will blind you with tears
like a lover
it will your reflection
a wobbling photo of grief

I am trying to be truthful.

Not a cute card or a kissogram.

I give you an onion.
Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,
possessive and faithful
as we are,
for as long as we are.

Take it.
Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring,
if you like.

Lethal.
Its scent will cling to your fingers, cling to your knife.

Having and Knowing a Father

I thought a little about my faith after Sunday last…
What is your faith? I was asked, and then asked you.

I have a father, but he did not act like one.

I adopted a priest. I think now, he still remained friend instead of Father.

That I knew no Father, I know not how to be with a Father in Heaven.

But I know creation. So perhaps I know how to be with My Creator.

I am a work of his hands and his mind and his heart. Born out of thought,desire and action. To be of thought, of desire and action.

What do I desire most today?

Friends Influence.

February
Not an easy word to spell
Short month with so much to do.
Its my birthday next month. And I want to say something.
I have something to say.
And I want to gather my friends and talk about what I have to say.

Am I forcing anyone to listen? Will I be forcing them to like me? An invitation. It always begins with an invitation.
Can i make time for you? As much as I can. Yes. Will you make time for me?

I am grateful and I want to show my appreciation. And I want to take stock. Have I been useful and good to you?

I was born into this world to be. Just be.
I was born with desires to love.
I was born with people to love.
I was born with a body to love.

haha it sounds all rather funny. Don t you think?