Patience and Devotion

This shop is the last stop. I cannot possibly continue you aimlessly wandering stores in search of the gift that shouts to him that he is the greatest thing to ever happen to me. A gift that sums up my feelings with one glimpse. I'm possibly overthinking this, but there has to be something out there. There has to be a meaningful gift that he'll actually want. Not some gaudy piece of jewelry he'll be embarrassed to wear or something that will sit on a shelf collecting dust. This shop has to have something.

It's a small shop. I can remember seeing the name of the place when I walked in, but for whatever reason, it escapes my mind. It's so intimate. I have never once stepped for in this shop, but everything about it screamed that this was the place I would find what I'm looking for. So many things that could be sentimental, yet functional. That is exactly what I'm looking for. Something that will describe how I'm feeling, but is functional enough he will use it and appreciate it every day.

This wallet seems great, and he needs a new wallet, but how in the world does that sum up my feelings? "Here, is a wallet, so you can keep money in it and think of me?" That's not it. That screams to me that he has only one purpose and I definitely do not want to convey that message. It's got to be something he will actually enjoy. He has limited interests and simple taste. There is not exactly a wide range of things I can get. I'm totally lost and so done shopping. My brain hurts.

As I walked to the back of the shop, I came across a man sitting all by himself. He was in dark clothing and wearing a hat that somehow shadowed his face to disguise it perfectly. "Do you need some help ma'am?" My first instinct was to run as far away as possible, but this man was intriguing. And as intriguing as he seemed, he felt familiar. "Yes, actually. You being a man, what on earth can I get my husband that explains exactly how I feel as soon as he sees it, but something he will gladly use regularly?" His initial body language told me that I was looking for something that didn't exist, yet he thought a minute and proceeded to tell me "I know exactly what you are looking for."

I won't lie, I am terrified at this point. It took him a fraction of the time to come up with an idea for someone he didn't know and had a very small amount of information about. How in the world has it taken me all day and several different stores to come up with absolutely nothing and this man knows exactly what to get my husband? Hesitantly, I ask him "What am I looking for?"

The man replies, "I will tell you, but I must let you know, it's a bit unconventional."

"Well, I am at a loss and about to give up so I'll take any suggestions."

Matter of factly, he replies "Nothing!"

I was confused beyond belief. I did not understand why this man would tell me that I should get nothing after pouring my heart and soul into it all day long. I have been stressing for weeks and I thought I would find it today. How can I get him nothing? I asked this man, "How can I possibly get him nothing? I've been working so hard to find the perfect gift, how can I walk away empty-handed?"

The man answered, "You aren't. You fail to see the point. The point is your gift IS your love. It is the fact that you are so willing to search for something that conveys those things you want to convey so desperately. It is in the fact that you want him to FEEL it."

Completely bewildered, I ask "How do I make him feel it then?"

He simply stated, "You already do. Every day in the things you do for your husband. In the way, you support him, care for him and love him. No gift could show it any better than you do daily."

Still, confused, "How do you know this? How could you possibly know how my husband feels? How can you know that I show him how I feel every day?"

The mystery man simply raised his hat where I could see his face more, smiled and said "Because I am your husband. You are enough, my dear. I don't need anything else."

I could feel my eyes swelling up with tears. "How did I not know that was you? I feel completely embarrassed."

"I made a good effort to keep my identity from you. I knew you were shopping for me today and I knew how stressed out you would be because you always try to do so much for me. I saw this place and thought it might be a shop you would try. So I sat and waited."

Tears of pure happiness ran down my face. I hugged him as hard as I could. I was elated and relieved. I found his gift and he gave me his all in one swoop. He gave me what he always did, his patience, waiting in that shop all day. I gave him my complete devotion trying to find a way to show him how I felt. There was no doubt in my mind he knew how I felt and the way he felt was undeniable. Our gifts were each other and as long as we have each other, I'm pretty sure we'll be ok.