A gift from the heart

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Once upon a time, there was a very kind missionary who lived in a small village, giving her heart and life for the people there. On the other side of the island, about twelve miles from where she lived, grew the sweetest tiny purple berries that grew nowhere else. Years before, she had traveled there and the pleasure of that delicious, rare treat was a wonderful memory in her dreams. The villagers on the island were heartbroken when she shared with them she would be moving back to her homeland. They brought her lovely shells, leather crosses, and small carved wooden bowls, things that she would treasure forever. A small boy shyly approached her and handed her a little covered basket. The missionary's eyes grew large as she saw that the basket was filled with the berries from the other side of the island. "Oh, my," she exclaimed. "This is such a lovely thing for you to do. But it was so far away and I know you walked every mile." The little boy smiled and said, "Long walk part of gift." I don't know the author of this story and I paraphrased it from memory. Sometimes a gift is less meaningful than the effort and love that went into finding it. Have you ever received something that was more special because of the person or the circumstances rather than the gift itself?