My friend showed me her life-like baby boy doll that she has treasured for years.  At the time, she was enjoying the process of looking for a new outfit for him.  Her joy was infectious.  So much so that it remained with me while I was running errands the next day and happened upon some little booties.  Without hesitation, I dropped them in my cart and couldn’t wait to give them to her.  While they weren’t anything super special, I knew she would appreciate the thought.  That alone would bring us both joy.

I packaged them in a cellophane gift bag accented with curly ribbon then put the small package on the corner of the table by the door.  Days passed. The next time I ran errands, I scooped up the little package and added it to my armload of bags as I headed out the door.  Off I went after depositing everything onto the passenger seat.

Time got away from me and as I checked my watch, I was jolted by the realization that it was way past time to start dinner.  Off I went again, this time racing home in an effort to bend time to my advantage, all the while calculating what I could quickly pull together for dinner.  In my hurried, shifted focus, the little package for my friend was forgotten.  Incredibly, it was a few weeks later when I realized I had never delivered it.  I wondered where it had gone, but by then, we were moving and other to-dos crowded my days.

Thoughts of that package would occasionally dance across my mind and I’d momentarily wonder about its disappearance.    

Fast forward to the present and I am transferring things from our old car to a new car we just purchased.  I lay on the backseat and  s-t-r-e-t-c-h  my arm under each of the front seats to make sure I don’t leave behind a stray umbrella or whatever.  Nope!  Oh…wait a second… my fingertips brush something and accidentally push it further.  S-t-r-e-t-c-h …just…a… little.. bit… more.  Got it!  Out comes the packaged gift booties I had purchased for my friend… a YEAR AGO!!  Darn! The loving thought that left the bow but never quite made it to the target, let alone the bullseye!

As I think about this “ungifted gift,” it reminds me of all the loving gestures that die a sudden death due to hesitation or distraction.  How unfortunate that people will never know how often I’ve thought of them.  I could have made love deposits in so many people’s lives if all the calls, gifts and cards I had made, given or sent in my mind had found their way out into the world!

~Zanne
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