Departing With Gifts

I don’t know about growing up on the East Coast, the West Coast or major cities. I can only speak from my small town southern experience. In the South, when you depart from family or friends, you always depart with gifts. Your mind may run to brightly wrapped packages, money folders, etc., but that’s not the kind of gifts I’m talking about. As we pack up the trunk and pull away from the house, I think about the many gifts packed away for the trip home. There are two containers of gumbo from my brother Skip, a jar of pear preserves from Aunt Peggy, a bag of pecans from my brother/friend Charlie, a bag of kumquats from Mr. SL, and a bag of peanuts from my Daddy. These are the gifts of the South. Whatever a person has, they share with you. Usually, it is a gift of the land. Something not bought in a store. But there are other gifts that I’m departing with as well. Memories of my older brother Jesse trying to give instructions on what’s for dinner and where to sit and nobody paying attention to him, memories of the hearty laughter around the table, memories of the shouts of victory when the Saints win (man, it’s good to be amidst a house full of Saints fans!), memories of being scared to death when Mr SL takes you out through the fields at dusk with his pistol on the pickup dash. A smile, a hug, a good story. These are the gifts of a life well lived. So when visitors come into your presence, make sure they depart with gifts. A smile, a hug, or just a word of encouragement.