Gifts

“Oooh, this is lovely! It'll go well with the other figures. Thank you!” I moved the delicate crystal figure of a lynx to the pile of unwrapped presents laying on my right. So far, each new present has been more spectacular than the last. There was just one left. As I reached for the slim, brown envelope that looked remarkably ordinary, my parents stepped up to the table.
 * __ Gifts __**

“Happy 16th birthday Lyra!” They chorused. 'Probably birthday money again,' I thought, as I broke the seal and extracted a plain white card with a musical note on it. Puzzled, I opened it and another long piece of card fluttered onto the table. I recognized it instantly – It was a ticket. I flipped it right-side up, ready to tell my parents that I had already gotten myself tickets to the next musical, ad that they could keep this for themselves. Scanning the text neatly printed on the card, my jaw fell open, and my hands started to tremble.

“The Gift of Music with Julie Andrews at the O2 Arena, London” My brain could hardly process the information. Searching for a logical answer, I instinctively reached for the card. It simply read, “Enjoy yourself. Love, Mum and Dad.” I bit my lip, looking to them for an explanation.

“We know how much you love Julie, and how upset you were when you couldn't afford to get the tickets yourself, so it's just a little gift from us to you. Plane ticket is in the envelope.” They had even answered my unvoiced question. Tears of joy in my eyes, I leaped up and crushed them both in a massive bear hug. “I love you guys," I whispered, tears already trickling down my cheeks.

Twiddling my thumbs, I stared at the endless blue of the sky out of the window in the plane. 5 hours into my 14 hour flight to London and I was still pumped with anticipation. My body refused to sleep even though I had been awake for the past 32 hours. Shifting slightly in the seat, I started to whistle a tune from the movie, “The Sound of Music”. Not even 3 bars into the song, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Hey, are you going for Julie's concert too?” A girl that looked to be around my age was leaning on the back of my seat, her head beside mine. I nodded in response. A grin spread across her face, eyes twinkling. “ I bet we're going to be great friends!” I grinned back. This was certainly going to be the best holiday of my life.

As I sat in the theatre with my new-found friend, Cass, I mused over the past week, and realized that it was all gifts. The gift of a family who supported my interests, the gift of a wonderful present and now, the gift of friendship in the form of none other than the brunette beside me, Cass. As Julie Andrews took the stage, I realized that there was one more gift I had forgotten, as she opened her mouth, and glorious singing poured forth. Thank you God, for the Gift of Music.