The Gift

I went to Utah recently to visit my family. While I was visiting with my father the topic of painting came up. I have always thought my father to be a fantastic artist.  Many, many times I have asked him to paint something for me or please let me have one of the paintings he has already done. I have never succeeded at getting one of his paintings, and now he is 80 I know that will not happen. But he did give me something that most people would think to be silly. I was and will always be very touched by this gift. When painting you get up and down often to stand back and look at what you have painted.  You are trying to get a different perspective on the work you just did. My dad gave me an item that is the opposite of a magnifying glass. It looks just like one but it actually puts distance on the item that you are looking at so you do not have to keep getting up to look at your painting.
It is not the item really that touched me, it is the fact that it is what he has used for years and years to paint with.  He has given me Birthday and Christmas presents all my life but he has never given me something that belonged to him.

I did not have the opportunity to be raised around my father so this gave me a little piece of him that touched my heart more than he will ever know.