I'm very excited to end our TWELVE days of Christmas (okay. . . more like FOURTEEN DAYS!) with author LK Gardner-Griffie! Be sure to leave a comment for a free ecopy of Misfit McCabe! The winner will be announced at the end of the blog on Friday!
A Gift Remembered
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always up for a celebration—whether it be a step forward, overcoming a hurdle, or simply a glorious day. There’s enough in this life that is ugly and hurtful, so I want to make sure I’m searching for the bright side of things. Which also makes the holiday season special for me because there is so much to celebrate and it puts my focus back on the things that are important—friends, family, and giving to others.
Several years ago, I was given a gift I will never forget. At the time, I taught in a preschool and loved every minute. I tended to work best with the kids who had “behavior problems” so I had more than my share of the difficult kids. Kelly started late in the year. Her mom had made some wrong choices with her life, and wound up in prison, so grandma and grandpa took in the girls. Kelly was a tough little kid. She didn’t want to show emotions and she’d seen far more than a child should at the age of five. But one of the many things I loved about her was that she was her own person and she stood up for herself and her younger sister.
As Christmas approached, there was the usual frenzy of ornament making, glitter shaking, and preparing for the Christmas program. I knew Kelly would be off for the usual break time, but apparently someone forgot to tell her. The school stayed open during the break time for those parents who worked full time and weren’t able to take the time off, so I was still working, and happened to be in the office when she barreled in, grandma in her wake, even though she was “off” from school.
Apparently she wanted to give me a gift, and wouldn’t let grandma rest until she brought it in. As her grandma told me, she had no idea what Kelly had brought because she had picked it out and wrapped it herself. She thrust a package in my hands, paper wrapped ‘round and ‘round and tape here and there. She gave me a fierce hug, said “Merry Christmas” and then dashed out, not wanting to wait for me to open her gift.
Inside was a stuffed dog, plain canvas, dressed in an engineer outfit. There were a few dirt smudges, and the dog had been well-played with. Tears welled in my eyes, as they do every time I think about her gift, and as they are as I write this. This truly was a gift from her heart. The child who had trouble expressing love for others had given me something obviously special to her. As much as I love sparkly, shiny, blingy type things, this somewhat battered stuffed toy means more to me than any other. Because it reminds me of what the true spirit of Christmas is—gifts from the heart.
Have you ever received a gift from the heart? Tell me about it!!
LK Gardner-Griffie is a two-time teen choice award winning author for her Misfit McCabe series. Daughter to a rocket scientist and an artist, LK combines the traits of both into a quirky yet pragmatic writer. In addition to writing, LK holds down a full-time job with an international transportation company as a process and efficiency expert, and somewhere along the line was abducted by the Zombie Survival Crew and made Commander of the Purple Brigade. Her leisure time is spent with her husband sharing a love of music, singing, and college baseball. She writes into the night with the help of her three long-haired miniature dachshunds.
And in the spirit of giving - I have a story, Tim's Shiner, available on both Wattpad and Figment which will be part of a short story collection called Diary of a Misfit, a companion book to the Misfit McCabe series and available early 2013. I'd love for you to check it out.
Links
Website
Blog
Book Site
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
Google+
Wattpad
Figment
Amazon Author Page
Misfit McCabe Trailer
Nowhere Feels Like Home Trailer
Several years ago, I was given a gift I will never forget. At the time, I taught in a preschool and loved every minute. I tended to work best with the kids who had “behavior problems” so I had more than my share of the difficult kids. Kelly started late in the year. Her mom had made some wrong choices with her life, and wound up in prison, so grandma and grandpa took in the girls. Kelly was a tough little kid. She didn’t want to show emotions and she’d seen far more than a child should at the age of five. But one of the many things I loved about her was that she was her own person and she stood up for herself and her younger sister.
As Christmas approached, there was the usual frenzy of ornament making, glitter shaking, and preparing for the Christmas program. I knew Kelly would be off for the usual break time, but apparently someone forgot to tell her. The school stayed open during the break time for those parents who worked full time and weren’t able to take the time off, so I was still working, and happened to be in the office when she barreled in, grandma in her wake, even though she was “off” from school.
Apparently she wanted to give me a gift, and wouldn’t let grandma rest until she brought it in. As her grandma told me, she had no idea what Kelly had brought because she had picked it out and wrapped it herself. She thrust a package in my hands, paper wrapped ‘round and ‘round and tape here and there. She gave me a fierce hug, said “Merry Christmas” and then dashed out, not wanting to wait for me to open her gift.
Inside was a stuffed dog, plain canvas, dressed in an engineer outfit. There were a few dirt smudges, and the dog had been well-played with. Tears welled in my eyes, as they do every time I think about her gift, and as they are as I write this. This truly was a gift from her heart. The child who had trouble expressing love for others had given me something obviously special to her. As much as I love sparkly, shiny, blingy type things, this somewhat battered stuffed toy means more to me than any other. Because it reminds me of what the true spirit of Christmas is—gifts from the heart.
Have you ever received a gift from the heart? Tell me about it!!
LK Gardner-Griffie is a two-time teen choice award winning author for her Misfit McCabe series. Daughter to a rocket scientist and an artist, LK combines the traits of both into a quirky yet pragmatic writer. In addition to writing, LK holds down a full-time job with an international transportation company as a process and efficiency expert, and somewhere along the line was abducted by the Zombie Survival Crew and made Commander of the Purple Brigade. Her leisure time is spent with her husband sharing a love of music, singing, and college baseball. She writes into the night with the help of her three long-haired miniature dachshunds.
And in the spirit of giving - I have a story, Tim's Shiner, available on both Wattpad and Figment which will be part of a short story collection called Diary of a Misfit, a companion book to the Misfit McCabe series and available early 2013. I'd love for you to check it out.
Links
Website
Blog
Book Site
Goodreads
Google+
Wattpad
Figment
Amazon Author Page
Misfit McCabe Trailer
Nowhere Feels Like Home Trailer
