A universal gift that keeps giving

The great gift dilemma. We’ve all gone through it.
Especially at this time of year, a common quandary is what to give someone who has everything. If you don’t get a list of suggestions from the recipient, how do you choose something that allows you to communicate your feelings and appreciation for them?
You talk to people close to the recipient to get ideas.
You can guess what they’d like and attach a gift receipt with the present.
Or you buy the last resort - a gift card.
We see ads all the time pushing the “perfect gift for the person who has everything.” And we always hope our gift will make them happy. This led me think of another type of gift that is guaranteed to put joy in someone’s heart.
I recently received such a gift.
On Tuesday mornings, Bonnie has to be at work at 7 a.m. at the clinic in New Prague. Because of the early start (it’s early for us!), we forgo our morning routine of coffee, news and conversation about the day ahead. Instead we get a treat.
In the winters I drive her to work because she gets nervous on the winter roads. I get nervous too. Last Tuesday, after I dropped her off, I stopped at Patty’s Place to buy a couple of cappuccinos and some treats. This is a regular occurrence for me because the baked goods are delicious and the coffee is always so warming. I always buy her a cinnamon chip scone and myself a raspberry muffin.
As I was dreaming of that warm coffee and sweet muffin, I gave Patty’s friendly staff my order and pulled out my wallet.
My unexpected gift came when Patty surprised me by telling me to put away my wallet. Someone had “paid it forward” and bought my treats.
Wait! What?
She added it wasn’t just for me, but for a whole lot of people. She said earlier, a person put down a “big chunk of change” to pay for people’s treats.
When I heard that news, I felt Grinch-like because my heart grew three sizes that day, and the true meaning of Christmas came through. It gave me such a warm, wonderful, and comforting feeling, which is precisely the reason behind paying it forward.
Of course, this isn’t the first time this has ever been done. An excellent example happened a year ago at a Dairy Queen in Brainerd when more than 900 drive-thru customers paid it forward for nearly three straight days.
That is a lot of happy hearts!!! (I’d hate to know I was the person who broke the chain!)
So when I am wracking my brain to figure out gift ideas in the future, I’m not going to stress about it. Instead I’m going to leave the gift giving to Bonnie, then follow that stranger’s selfless act, pay it forward, and give the gift that keeps giving.