Dear Karen Kingsbury,

          

           The Friday afternoon before Christmas break, during my last class of the day, I found myself in the school library, looking for a good book to read for the holidays.  I glanced along the long shelves of books.  One book in particular caught my eye, with the bright, red gloves on the front cover that stood out boldly against the plain black and white background.  As I read the title, Gideon’s Gift, I thought that it was probably about a boring Christmas gift, like the awful, lumpy, red, knitted hat that I receive from my Aunty Sally every Christmas.  The lesson bell rang and I quickly grabbed Gideon’s Gift and rushed to check it out.  The book lay unopened in my backpack until late on that rainy, Sunday afternoon, when I curled up in the big armchair by the warm fire and began to read.

           As I read I discovered it was a story about not just one gift, but a story of giving.  Gideon gave hope and faith to a despondent Earl.  Earl’s gift of a pair of red gloves gave Gideon courage and inspiration to fight her leukemia.   These were not boring gifts, but real, life changing, spiritual gifts.  As Christmas approached Gideon’s Gift inspired me to give real gifts from the heart not just put shiny, colorful packages under the tree.  My gifts to my family were small, hand-written tokens offering my help however and whenever they needed it.  The most important gift Earl and Gideon exchanged was the gift of friendship, and so to my friends I gave the gifts that only a good friend can give, which was to be there for them whenever they need me.  On Christmas morning when I opened Aunty Sally’s parcel, I was truly thankful for that knitted hat because it was the love that she had knitted into every stitch that made it the most precious gift of all.

           Your book has given me the gift of understanding what giving from the heart truly is.  I will try to give this to others, so the chain of giving will continue on.  Gideon’s Gift was truly an inspiration to me, and as I pass on this book to friends, I know it will inspire them too, with the most precious gift of giving.

                                                                                                   Sincerely,

                                                                                                              Miranda F.

 

 

 

A LETTER TO KAREN KINGSBURY

Miranda F.

Letters About Literature