The Gifts They Leave Behind

While cleaning the house, shortly before Christmas, Pat finds a Christmas gift from Dustin, intended for his mother.

Dustin's gift

Dustin’s gift

Pat writes:
“When I was cleaning a few weeks before Christmas, I found this gift all wrapped up, under the couch. It was from Dustin’s last Christmas here.”

“Dustin was always buying me little knick knacks. Somehow, it was stuck under the couch from 2014. (Shows how well I clean.)”

“Didn’t find it until a few weeks ago…2016.
I think he did this on purpose. My Christmas gift from Dustin…2016. He wanted me find it.”

Commentary- I am never surprised when I hear of this happening. I have even experienced this for myself from time to time. When this happens, it is fantastic! Somehow you just know that the gift you found was intended for you to find at that very moment.

Gifts from our loved ones are left for us on many occasions; anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, and in this case, perhaps the loneliest time of year without Dustin by her side, Christmas. And… it’s interesting that she found his gift at Christmas, when it could have been any other time of year that she decided to clean under the couch. And she actually did pull that very couch across the room to clean the floor in September and nothing was there! Indeed, this was intended for Christmas!

But… what’s important to know is that the gifts from our departed loved ones, come in non-physical ways too. Of course, it is very sad when our loved ones cross-over from this life to the next. But they always leave their gifts behind. Always! Given the passing of time and the perspective needed to clearly see, these meaningful gifts will be discovered by us to enjoy. 

Because many intangible gifts given to us by our loved ones are not as obvious as the ones physically wrapped in a box with a bow on top, these gifts are not as easily seen at first because the sadness and pain from our loss often obstruct our view. But as we begin to heal through the grief process, and as the dense fog of our grief begins to lift and clear out, these newfound gifts are there for us to realize… and appreciate in wonder.

Pat thinks Dustin’s gift was lost from a previous Christmas and “accidentally” found its way under the couch. Maybe so… maybe not. (NOT!) This may be impossible to know for certain, as these days, Dustin could magically manifest and wrap a gift in any wrapping paper of his choosing.

But the fact remains… whenever it was intended to be given to, and found by Pat, Dustin’s mother and best friend, this was a gift of love from Dustin to his mom that said, “Dearest mother. Please know that although you don’t always see me, I am here with you, supporting you and loving you always.”

For more on Dustin and his afterlife shenanigans, please read, Another Dustin MomentDustin Is At It Again!, Guardian of the Galaxy, Best of Buddies.

To read more about grief and ways to deal with it, click here.

11 thoughts on “The Gifts They Leave Behind

  1. Patricia Koch on said:

    Dustin is always finding new ways to surprise me. It wasn’t until yesterday when I was texting his best friend,Eric, and told him about the gift . Eric was blown away. This morn I decided to take a pic of it and send it off to you and friends. I really didn’t expect you to post it. . But you said Dustin was bugging you to so here is the post. And I love his message at the end. Just another reminder that he is here with me through thick and thin. Holidays can be so rough on those of us who have lost a loved one. We all need a little help to get through them. Just have to believe and keep looking for those signs.

    Thanks for posting this, Jade. It helped make the holidays a little better.

    Pat

    • Sure, Pat. My pleasure! And Dustin was definitely encouraging me to write this up to post immediately. I’m sure he wanted you to know how much he loves you and that this gift was no accident at all. 🙂 Hugs. xo

  2. Mary Ann on said:

    I love this posting.

    Keep up your very inspiring words to those of us who have lost a loved one.

    🙂 Mary Ann

  3. Crystal on said:

    That is awesome Pat. Dustin seems to be full of surprises. What a sweet little Christmas surprise. Thanks for the post, Jade 🙂

    • Patricia Koch on said:

      I still see a lot of the 44 license plates (Dustin’s favorite number) so I know he is around. But to find a gift wrapped by him took me by surprise. You are right. Dustin is full of surprises. I hope they keep coming.

  4. That’s amazing. What a great gift to receive pat. Very nice post.

    • Patricia Koch on said:

      He is letting me know he is around. And he keeps finding new ways to do it. The holidays are rough for all of us so this was an unexpected surprise. Just when I was heading down in the dumps…he picked me up. I hope he never stops surprising me.

  5. That Dustin is a great person. I talk to him from time to time. I’m glad he gave you that Christmas present

    • Patricia Koch on said:

      He is a sweetheart. He was always full of energy in this life. He has not changed in the after life. I have found when I talk to him…he always comes through. It is wonderful to still get signs and answers from him. Our loved ones are there…all we have to do is talk to them. I remember how he helped you get out of the Dallas lock down. That was Dustin for sure.

  6. I am amazed when these sorts of gifts show up. How does this happen? But I am glad that it did.

    I like the cute kitty too.

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