Yesterday I had a sudden urge to go out and check the mail here at our Preston home.  It was a warmish day, short sleeve weather in late winter.  The timing was perfect.  I started out the front door, the mail lady was pulling into our drive way.  Warm and cheery, she handed me a brown box, which turned out to be our total mail for the day.  One brown box, nothing else. 

We hadn't been expecting any ordered items.   We hadn't been told that a brown box was on its way.  It was a complete surprise and it was refreshing just to receive the brown box.  Someone sent us a gift!   My heart was cheered.  Someone actually took the time to find something to put in a brown box, took the time to go to the Post Office, took the resources to send it, and no doubt thought a lot about us as they did it.  I could have just enjoyed the brown box for all the blessing it was to me.  But wait, there's more.  Something is in there, and who was it that sent it?

On my way into the house I read the label.  It was from Alabama.   Our dear friends in Alabama.  Now the brown box is more important and giving more to me than ever.  A gift from a friend, just because they were thinking of us.  No birthdays to celebrate, no holiday to commemorate, no special function to associate with, just a gift. 

I let Martha open it up.  Now the fun begins.  What was inside the brown box was a wonderful expression of loving through knowledge.  Martha enjoys watching the birds (as I do) come to our bird feeder.  And her favorite bird is the Cardinal.  Bright red, always cheery, always a joy to see, we have a few pairs here.  So in this brown box were two things that were given to us with the knowledge that we love seeing those birds.  Our friends took the time to not only send a gift, but one that was filled with knowing who we are and what we enjoy.  The value of the brown box just went to another level.  

So what was in the box?  a ceramic bird whistle in the shape of a Cardinal and a wonderful puzzle of a Cardinal pair in a beautiful Spring rural setting.  Two things that we will enjoy.  So now the bird whistle is one of those that you put water in and then blow through the tail to create warbling and whistling sounds.  It is wonderfully joyous, loud, and fun.  We will use it for those reasons, but even more, for the reason of it being a gift from friends, and we will always think of those friends when we see it (which will be most every day, because it is in the kitchen window that looks out to the bird feeders, and we will especially think of our friends when we make those wonderful sounds that come out of it.  And the puzzle will represent a few hours of what happens when we do puzzles, but the whole time we will be thinking of our friends, who one day, out of the clear blue found a way to send us a brown box full of love and affection.   Thanks Marynell and Tommy!

As I finish, I can see a lot of parallels between this brown box gift and what the Lord has done for us all.  Can you?