When I was a boy the one Christmas present me and my brothers never wanted but
always got was socks. Every year under the tree there would be a package of
thick, white tube socks for each of us. They were always quickly stuffed in a
drawer and forgotten about while we played with our real presents and enjoyed
Christmas day.
In time, however, the lights were taken down, the Christmas tree was thrown out,
and only Winter was left. It was during the cold, dark, long, snowy Winter
months that those socks began to take on a new importance. On those bitter,
windy mornings in January me and my brothers would be huddled by the stove in my
Nana’s drafty old house hopping around while we pulled on those thick socks to
warm our icy toes. Nothing felt better than feeling them thaw our frozen feet.
It was then that I was thankful to Mom and Dad for spending what little money
they had on not just what we wanted but also on what we needed.
As I sit here 40 years in the future on a cold, Winter’s day with warm socks on
my feet I can still smile back on those childhood days so full of simple joys. I
realize too that my Mom and Dad provided not just warm socks for my feet but
warm socks for my soul as well. In this often cold world they showed me the
warmth of love. They showed me that giving is better than getting. They showed
me that hard work can fill the heart as well as the wallet. They showed me that
laughter and smiles are more valuable than stocks and bonds. They showed me that
what is important isn’t what you accumulate in this world but what you take with
you into the next.
May all of your days be full of warm socks and warm hearts. May they be full of
smiles, laughter, kindness, goodness, peace and joy. May they be full of God’s
love for you and your love for others. May they feel like Summer even in the
midst of Winter.
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.