Joey Lynn remembered his grandmother telling him to wipe the chocolate off his face. Joey loved his Grandma Blessing’s chocolate-chip cookies. Each Christmas his grandma made him two dozen of the tantalizing treats. That gift was his favorite because it came from his grandmother’s heart. She was poor and unable to buy him a present.
Grandma would not be joining Joey’s family for Christmas this year. She died of a heart attack eight days before Christmas. Joey thought about his grandmother as Christmas Day approached, remembering the cookies placed in a tin can and wrapped in aluminum foil.
Grandma always put the cookies toward the back of the tree, so it would be the last present unwrapped. She wrote his name on the gift tag. But she gave Joey the present personally.
Just a day before her death, Grandma ate dinner with Joey’s family. The family laughed as Grandma told them about the time Dad and Uncle Cliff tried to run away. Dad and Cliff were mad because Grandma made them clean the house. But Grandpa Don, now deceased, found them about two blocks away. Punishment was two weeks of no television.
Grandma’s smile and good-natured personality made everyone love her. She often kidded Joey about his wiry, red hair and freckles. “Those freckles look like strawberries,” she said, “and I love strawberries.”
When Joey was younger, Grandma would gently kiss him on the cheek. But now that he was nine-years-old she had avoided what Joey called, “the mushy stuff.” Joey wrapped his last present. It was his grandmother’s gift. He decided to give the pot holders to his mother.
Joey’s family almost decided not to have Christmas at their house this year. But Dad’s relatives liked their big house. Everyone also loved his Mom’s homemade fudge.
Uncle Cliff and Aunt Betsy and their daughters—Sherrie and Gracie—were the first to arrive. He wished his cousins were boys because the girls wanted him to play house. Soon, the rest of the family arrived. Dinner included smoked turkey, corn, baked beans and homemade bread.
Sherrie and Gracie distributed the presents. Gracie gave Joey a big box. It was the race track he wanted.
The big grandfather’s clock ticked off the hours. Relatives laughed and talked about their jobs, the past and upcoming events and, of course, Grandma. Scattered across the floor were wrapping paper, bows and ribbons. Joey noticed one present still under the tree.
He reached for it. It had his name on it. He unwrapped it. Inside was a tin can of chocolate-chip cookies. Joey knew who gave him that gift. It was his grandmother. She placed the present under the tree when she visited them. Even in death, Grandma Blessing reached out and reminded Joey of her love. The same is true of God. He always is there with His blessings and His love for you.
