Have you ever given someone a “just because” gift?
You’re in the mall or the grocery store, or any number of places doing your normal errands, when you see something that has someone’s name written all over it. Not literally, but it just seem to shout “buy me” for that person. It’s unique or funny or special. You can immediately anticipate the pleasure on their face, so you pick it up for them. You don’t set it aside for Christmas or a birthday (if you’re like me, you couldn’t possibly wait that long) but give it to them right away.
“What’s this for?”
“Just because.”
God gave me a “just because” present recently and it blew me away.
I love my coffee in the morning, but all I need is one or two cups and I’m done for the day. I’m not much of a water drinker, especially in the winter, so the rest of the day I drink herbal tea. It gets busy at work and my mind is filled with my next task, so I often realise in the afternoon that I am parched and have a headache from dehydration. Standing waiting for the kettle to boil and making myself a cup of tea just doesn’t happen some days.
At home, we have one of those single serve coffee makers and when you want tea, you stick your tea bag in your mug, make sure there’s no pod in the pod-holder-thingy and pull the lever. Almost instantly, boiling water comes out, and you have your cup of tea. If my mother was alive, she’d be horrified at this non-traditional method, but it works for me.
Wouldn’t it be great if I had one of those at work? I could make my tea quickly and get on with my day.
Okay, it’s frivolous. I can boil the kettle, or walk down the hall to the next neighbourhood, where they have hot water on tap. If I’m rushed, I don’t. But I could.
During the Boxing week sales, I even scanned the ads, looking for an amazing, here-take-this-for-almost-nothing deal on one of those machines. There were no deals. In fact, the reduced prices were only about $20 cheaper than the regular price. I checked kijiji. Still nothing in my price range (which was, unrealistically, “almost free.”) I gave up on the idea. Oh well.
The day I returned to work after Christmas, I walked into the Family Room, gasped and jumped back, scaring the bejeebers out of the care partner just behind me.
She rushed back into the room she had just exited. “What? What’s wrong?”
“There’s a Keurig in here,” I said in awe.
She looked at me. She looked at the machine in question. She left the room. Only one day back and she’s lost it already. Sad.
I stared at it. The top had a piece of tape with the name of our newest family. Obviously, it was put there so they could make their favourite coffee when they wanted, but also to share with the rest of us.
“Thank God, who did it all. His love never quits.” Ps. 136:26 (The Message)
Just because.