Gifts for Difficult and
Unusual Circumstances

Death of a child. One gift I received when Steve was killed was a beautiful angel. I took it to the trial with me and it gave me peace. I would sit and rub its little wings and that made me feel so good. It’s like I knew it was Steve and I was holding on to him.

After Steve died I had all his flannel shirts and he had a lot. The girl that was doing my nails offered to make a quilt out of the shirts. It is beautiful and we feel like Steve has his arms around us and is keeping us warm at the same time. She even left the pockets on it, which is really neat.

Death of a Parent. When my mom died one of my friends gave me a pretty new nightie! I so enjoyed it. Also given were gift certificates to local restaurants and that was great!

Cancer Treatments. The gift of giving of oneself is most appreciated: driving a friend to radiation/chemo on a certain day.

The Gift of an Organ. Seven years ago, I lay in a hospital bed in critical care waiting for either death or a heart transplant. I am alive today because of a most special gift. The gift of life, given by a grieving family after the loss of an 18-year-old son, allowed me to live. The family is still unknown to me, but I thank God daily for their generosity.

Many of us are taught that it is more blessed to give than receive. I think after what I have been through, that giving is much easier.

When I was waiting for the heart transplant, a friend of mine called and said, "Roy, have you thought about how much money it will take to get you through this time you will be out of work. I said, "Yes, I have." I believe it will take $30 to $35,000 dollars. He said, "Good, now I know what our goal should be. Don't worry about the money, your friends (in the company where you work) will have a ‘fund raiser’ and provide that money." I said, "Joe, that seems impossible, but anything will be appreciated."

I didn't know that my boss was a tough guy with a soft heart. Instead of processing the necessary paperwork to terminate my salary, he held it in his "in box" and never processed it until Long term Disability was available. I never missed a paycheck. His actions plus the $27,000 raised by co-workers, allowed us to survive for the eight months until I could return to work.

Giving and receiving are both wonderful experiences when love and gratitude are involved.