I love gifts. Especially on birthdays or holidays like Christmas. The anticipation of witnessing someone’s thoughtfulness and kindness towards you through what they present to you, helps to understand the value placed on the relationship and their feelings towards you. From a heartfelt card, to a personal hand-written letter. Gifts make our heart smile.

Gifts are presented in many ways. Sometimes through neatly wrapped paper with a beautiful red bow, by an expert wrapper seated at the exit of the store, or from a creative and artistic friend. The wrapping is not as important as the content.

At other times a gift may be presented by a child who with joy, unproportionately cut the gift wrapping paper, placed the gift in the midst of the paper, then gathered together the extra bundles of paper with (what seems to be the entire roll) piece of scotch tape that is trying its best to keep the contents of the gift from being exposed too soon.

But regardless of the outer presentation, the purpose of the content remains the same. The outer does not affect the gift. Even if the gift is fragile and happens to be damaged after unwrapping, it is still what it was created to be. The coffee cup is still a cup, even if it has a crack when it is exposed from wrapping. A mother still hugs her child the same because of the meaning, the effort, and the thoughtfulness of the child. The outside does not change what is on the inside.

Life presents so many external challenges that we forget that life is a gift and we allow the outside to change the inside.

• Thoughts about our worth from outside voices, try to affect the inside.
• Tragedies on the outside try to affect our inside.
• Family disagreements and conflict on the outside, try to affect the inside.
• Diseases and physical ailments are on the outside, try to affect the inside.

No matter how your life was wrapped and presented to this earth (the environment you were born in or who you parents are) it is still a gift.

No matter what and who attempted to destroy you from the outside, you are still who you are created to be. Be that person.

Appreciate your gift.