THE SOCKS

I have been wrapping Christmas gifts. Yes, I got an early start this year, and I am thrilled to see the hefty pile of gifts all neatly wrapped. It was while I was sitting on the floor among the presents, scissors, and tape that the following "incident" came to mind.

This is a true and personal story.

Once upon a time there lived a very poor boy. His parents were loving ones, but wages in his father's line of work were quite meager. They had no extra pennies for even the little extra pleasures most people were able to buy. It mattered not to the young boy. He was happy.

One particular Christmas, his family gathered together with two sets of aunts and uncles for a celebration. Also there was his cousin, who was his age. Gifts were distributed. The poor boy opened his gift from the wealthy aunt and uncle. Inside the package was a pair of socks. One pair. The boy was pleased to have new ones, and he expressed a sincere thank you. Next, it was his cousin's turn to open his gift from this same aunt and uncle. His gift? A typewriter.

Socks versus a typewriter. The boy wondered why his aunt and uncle would give gifts of such disparity. Had he displeased them in some way? Did they love him less than his cousin? While it did not make sense to him and he lacked understanding, he refused to let his wonderings taint his Christmas Day.

The young boy grew into the finest of men. He married and had children and grandchildren. And he always...ALWAYS...made certain that all the gifts he gave were of equal value. He had never forgotten the feelings he experienced from that Christmas of long ago, and he made a point of seeing to it that no one else would ever feel the same way because of his actions. Fairness was one of the hallmarks of this good man, and his fairness extended far beyond only the giving of presents to others.

Now, I am sure there are those who read that story and thought, "Hey, the kid was dirt poor and could use the socks. He should be grateful he got any gift at all." Ah, but he was grateful. But if that is your take on it, then I suggest you put yourself, your child, or grandchild in that very same situation. The giving of a typewriter to a cousin while YOUR loved one receives one pair of socks is a slap in the face. No matter how thankful one is, the disparity between those two gifts is bound to cause hurt when the presents are dispensed in a group situation. Of course, that was the intention. It was many years later that the boy found out that the rich aunt and uncle were snobs. They looked down on the boy's parents because of their lack of money. And it manifested itself, in one way, in the giving of a lone pair of socks to a child. I think I almost feel sorrier for the wealthy aunt and uncle than I do for the young boy.

Life does not always seem fair. We all know that. The only thing we can do is to think about the consequences of what we do. The effect we have on others. We do have the power to be fair in many ways. And in being so, we can make life just a bit kinder for others. A bit easier. A lot nicer. That is the gift all of us should be giving.

"I've always felt that when I do something in the name of fairness, it's not just for me--it's for everybody." ~Janet Peckinpaugh