Gift Unwrapping

Whether you are into presents for Chanukah or not, I think we can all agree that receiving a gift is fun and enjoyable… except when it’s not.
Malka hurriedly opened the small wrapped box in her hands. She knew, with certainty, that her husband had bought her the perfect earrings. After all, she had not only hinted it to him- she had
told him outright! Her husband’s eager eyes followed hers as she opened the box to find… a sturdy black wallet.
Miri waited eagerly for the Chanukah bonus she expected to get from her workplace/school. She had already dreamed of the different options of what she would do with the extra money. Maybe a new couch, a new shaitel, new carpeting… the possibilities were endless, until she opened the envelope and saw that the amount was far lower than she had anticipated.
That bitter taste in your mouth is real… if you expected something and had a surprising ending to your gift.
So many times we receive something different than we had envisioned.
Your husband was going to sit and learn for years to come… How did he end up so immersed in his business?
You were always a model student… How did your daughter end up at the principal’s office more often than you?
Your son seemed so well-adjusted… How did he end up so reserved and quiet?
The greatest (most difficult, challenging, stretching) act of receiving a gift is that you open your heart to receive what you did get.
Perhaps it looks and feels different than expected…
 What gift does your hardworking husband offer?
 What gift does your active, fun-spirited daughter offer?
 What gift does your thought-out son offer?
Are you willing to open the packaging of your gift, however unexpected, with new eyes?
All the best,

Rivkie