Too Much

Have you ever received a present that was so sacrificial and unexpected that your arms automatically wanted to stretch out and hand it back but your heart pulled it right in?
I have.
I was in a "Book Study" group for many years that read and discussed Christian authors . We were a motley crew that only the Lord could have put and kept together.
Fashion model, single mother, grandmother and career girls were we but the lofty ideas and deep truths of the books we read kept us together.
One Christmas out of deference to some of our poorer members we decided to exchange gifts of something we already owned but loved.  An exercise that was personally  as opposed to financially expensive.
One of the women in the group was uhh, how can I say this -- rowdy.  She  answered the questions posed with contentious or outrageous answers.  Personally I labeled her at least a rebel or at best just a little off. Not like the rest of us, pious and well informed.
Wouldn't you know she drew my name for the gift exchange?  Dang. 
There were women in there that had some really fine stuff and now it was not going to end up in my closet.
The Wednesday night before Christmas found us gathered around a grand fireplace inside Faye Napier's house.  Faye does Christmas like Faberge does eggs.  If she ever includes you in her invitation list GO.
It came time to open my gift and my heart sank when I read who it was from.  Being the Queen of Fake, I opened it up with plenty of drama and flare.
What I found was a sweater.  Not just any sweater but the most beautiful sweater I had or to this day ever seen.
This said sweater had been worn to a retreat several months before by the owner and we  all had a fit over it.  She had explained that it was hand knit, fine white mohair and she had proudly worn it since high school.  She looked like an angel in it.
All of my fake fell to the ground and all I could do was just sit there and cry.
How dare her teach me a lesson about the spirit of Christmas?  Me with the clever and correct answers?
It broke my heart -- open.
I hope that happens to all of us again this Christmas.