Gifts by mail

“A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great.” (Proverbs 18:16)

I always enjoyed myself being an auntie for so many nephews and nieces because I come from a big family. Before I was married, most of the time I stayed with my two sisters who are living here. When I got my pay or festive seasons, I would love to give them treats. Now all of them have grown into adults, the only nephews and nieces that are still young to be pampered are my youngest sister’s children in Petaling Jaya who are in pre-primary and primary school age.

I used to buy clothes for the children whenever my youngest sister and I see each other but most of the time to play safe, I always buy larger sizes, but then the children don’t have the chance to wear them immediately. Recently a new idea struck me. Why not get them some fanciful children items like stationery, and mail out to them? So I bought some and went to a nearby post office personally to make sure I paid the correct postage (by air) and made proper customer clearance declaration. That was 8th September, the day before Hari Raya Puasa. I called up my sister 2 weeks later and was disheartened that the parcel didn’t reach her. Too bad, it must have been ‘lost’ in the transit. Alas, 30 years since I left Malaysia, the postal system is still so inefficient and unreliable. Then came a telephone call from my youngest sister on Tuesday night (5th Oct),telling me that the parcel has been received and the children were thrilled over it! Can’t believe it took almost a month for it to be delivered.

Nevertheless, I am very excited to find this new way of keeping myself occupy, an excuse to go shopping, make the children happy and cheer up my spirit as well. I hope to do it more often. Really, sometimes we don’t have to do ‘big’ things to make a difference to someone else lives. I learnt that small, inexpensive gifts can also go a long way in building and maintaining good human relationships.