A Special Gift

A month ago today I was walking around on Freeport island in the Bahamas...

Since then I've been wishing I was still there.

My last few "vacations" have been the most incredibly memorable moments of my life...

The year is half over and I've been to Puerto Rico, Alabama, and most recently found myself on Carnival Cruise lines traveling on a 7 day cruise with a wonderful man and his amazing parents.

The time spent in between those adventures have been mostly rainy and cold with little to no sunshine. But not only do I wish I was still on vacation for merely the weather...

We arrived back in New Orleans from the cruise the day before Mother's Day and immediately jumped in the truck for our 5 hour drive back to Alabama where I would spend the next few days.

This was the first Mother's Day in 14 years that I would be away from my boy. Granted, I'm not one for having a big deal made out of days like this, but it did feel a little strange.

Little did I know that even though I was away from my child, I would still be greeted that morning with a "Happy Mother's Day" smile and a gift...

He handed me a leopard print looking bag with a little box inside. I opened the box and my heart stopped.

While we were visiting our first port in Key West I found him standing in a little store looking at jewelry. This wasn't a typical jewelry store, but more like a lost treasures kind of place.

He was chatting with the employee who was holding a necklace that held a tiny coin.

The coin was called a "Widow's mite" and was about the size of my fingernail. It wasn't round like a penny nor was it stamped entirely in the center like the coins we use in the present day. It was smooth but uneven. The employee showed us a card explaining the coin's history...

"Each widow's mite was hand cast from bronze and minted by the Kings of Judea so each is uniquely shaped. Widow's Mites were widely used throughout the region today known as the Middle East, especially Jerusalem. The Bible speaks of these coins. Mark 12:41-44: Now Jesus sat opposite the [temple] treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and put in two mites, which made a quadron.

The story of the "Widow's Mite" in Luke 21:2 tells of the woman who gave all she had. The Greek word for "mite" is "lepton." In the first century, there were many beautiful coins, (prutahs, denarius & sheckels). However, the lepton was often small and crudely made, often with no image on either side.

As we looked at this coin and I held the necklace in my hand, he asked me what I thought of it. "If it is what they claim it to be, I'd say that it's pretty amazing" I said as I pondered what kind of history I was holding in my hand. Wondering who else had held this coin and the journey it has been through. He asked the employee a few questions before going out the door.

We made our way upstairs to a toy store so I could look for something to bring home for Nick. As I was looking around, he told me he'd meet me downstairs and while thoughts of where he was headed to entered my mind, I also thought about how crazy it would be for him to return to the jewelry store and purchase it.

Six days later, I was holding this coin in my hands. It was the gift he chose to give me on Mother's Day...

Part of me still thinks he's crazy...

But a much bigger part of me is so thankful for the gift of having him in my life.

I actually had to wait a few weeks before finally possessing this necklace due to the fact that he had it set in a chain locally in Alabama. During that time I researched the mite a little more and found some pretty incredible things.

The story of the widow putting in all that she had was a testament of her faith...that God would provide.

Wikipedia says this:

A more likely interpretation has a different focus. Since in any case the woman would have been under no obligation to give the second mite, when she gave "all her living" she could not have given any more. Thus, the traditional interpretation of the passage is that God accounts the value of a gift not by how much is given, but by how much is kept back. Hence, the poor widow is counted as having given a great gift, having kept nothing for herself, while those who give out of their abundance but keep plenty for themselves are counted by God as having given very little. While the passage may or may not be an encouragement to live in poverty, it is certainly an encouragement to give generously.
and
...it was the quiet "small" gift of the poor widow that impressed the Son of God. If we do our works to be seen of men, we have our reward. If we do our works as the poor widow, if we are wholeheartedly devoted to God instead of seeking the praise of people and instead of spending riches on our own pleasures, we will receive a far greater reward which He has for us.

I am extremely fortunate to possess something so beautiful as this coin. And even more fortunate to have been given this gift from someone so special...not only for the gift itself, but for how it serves as a reminder of who I am to be.