December 25th ~ Gifts
When I think of Christmas, I think of snow on the ground, food on the table, and gifts under the tree.
But that year, there were none of those things.
In place of the snow was mud; for it had been a particularly warm season and the snow had already melted. And instead of food on the table with guests gathered around there was only the silence echoing through my empty room. There was no tree and there were no gifts.
That day, I had received a call that I had lost my job and that my grandfather had passed away. Even though I hated my job and I hadn't seen my old man for quite some time, I was still upset about it all.
But my grandfather had left his farm to me. I didn't know it then, but that farm would be the greatest gift I had ever received.