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Jul 30

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Three perfect gifts

I have received three Perfect Gifts in my life.  No, not the type that come out of a genie lamp or are bestowed by fairies upon a child’s birth.  I’m talking honest-to-goodness gifts that I could hold in my hand and unwrap.

What made them perfect?  Each of them was so incredible because I felt that, in order to choose that gift, the other person had to really see me and know me for who I am.

The first gift was from my mom and it was the beginning of a complete life change for me.  It was 2006 and I was really depressed.  I watched the show Starting Over every day and was completely in awe of one of the coaches on the show, Iyanla Vanzant.  I really wanted to meet her and learn from her.

My mom found out that Iyanla would be leading a five-day workshop at Omega Institute, a retreat center in upstate New York.  For my birthday, my amazing mother sent me to the workshop.  That marked the beginning of a whole new chapter of my life – I ended up studying with Iyanla for two years and transforming my life.  Thanks Mom.

The second gift came from a man who I was dating a few years ago.  We hadn’t been together for long, so I was really surprised when he left a gift in my car one morning – a wizard figurine.  I’ve been collecting wizards since I was a teenager and have them scattered around my apartment.  But we’d never talked about it and it was fantastic to realize that he’d been paying attention.

The third perfect gift came from my friend Dan.  During my two years at Inner Visions, Dan was my rock.  He supported me so lovingly through that time – and it was definitely not always pretty.  I’ll be forever grateful to him.

One day we were on a long drive together and he handed me a little pouch.  Again, I had no idea that a gift was coming, let alone what to expect.  Inside the pouch were 15 or 20 little pewter pocket coins.  On one side they have words like “Faith,” “Hope,” and “Trust.”  On the other side they have etchings of sweet things like starfish and angels.

I don’t know if Dan even understood how much he had “gotten” me.  Four years later, I still reach into a cup and pull out a couple tokens to carry in my pocket every day.

Now it’s time to add a fourth Perfect Gift to the list.

This weekend I opened my mailbox to find a package from my friend Lisa in Massachusetts.  It’s not my birthday, so I had no idea what to expect.

I opened the envelop to find one more pocket token (mind you, I don’t think I’ve EVER told Lisa the pocket token story, so she came up with this entirely on her own.)

This token has stars on one side and on the other side it says, “Believe in miracles.”

It took my breath away. It’s so beautiful and I’m SO grateful.

Lisa also happens to be one of the biggest Miracle Journal supporters out there, so it’s extra special.  Thank you Lisa!  I love you very, very much.  🙂

***

Wizard image found here.

About the author

Leah Carey

Leah Carey is the Chief Miracle Officer of The Miracle Journal, where she writes about the large and small miracles that happen in her life every day. She is a life coach, speaker, journalist, freelance writer, and lover of life. In all of those pursuits, she works with people to identify what’s already right in your life so you can build an even more joyful and fulfilling daily experience from that foundation. You can find her on Facebook, , Twitter, and YouTube.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.leahcarey.com/themiraclejournal/2012/07/30/three-perfect-gifts/

1 comment

  1. Lisa LaPlante

    Dearest Leah,

    I love you very very much too! I am THRILLED to learn about your pocket token story (no, I had not heard it before!). I LOVE the idea of my little miracle piece joining all of your faith, hope and trust tokens in their journeys into the cup and into your pockets when they’re needed most. <3 I am so touched by your posting, but mostly by you as a precious and trusted friend, as a beacon of inspiration and as a miracle gift in my life.
    Hugs!!!!
    xoxoxoxo
    ~L

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