Just a little background. Penny had learned in June of 1978 that her cousin Gary Lawrence was ill with leukemia. Penny and Gary always had a very special relationship, and Gary always encouraged Penny to work at her piano playing.
In September of 1979, Penny went away to college at Central College in Pella, Iowa. While there she spent many hours in the piano practice rooms working on a very special piece of music that she knew Gary loved very much. She knew she was coming home for Christmas that year, and she knew Gary was getting more ill as the days passed.
Gary and his family came to our home for Christmas dinner, as it was our turn to have Christmas dinner.
After dinner we all went into the living room and opened our gifts. It was then, that Penny told Gary she had a very special gift for him. She then sat at the piano and began to play Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig Von Beethoven. I don't know if she played the music perfectly but there was not a more special gift I can remember in my lifetime, given by one very beautiful young lady to a very handsome and thoughtful young man, as the gift given that day.
Little did Penny or any of us know that in three short weeks after that special Christmas, Gary would go to be with the Lord where he is today awaiting the rest of us to join him.
To this day as I listen to that wonderful piece of music, I can still see the eyes of Gary glistening with tears as he listened to the gift.
I guess I wanted to share this to say, you don't have to spend money to give that special gift at Christmas time. Some of the best gifts come to us from the work of another persons hands.
