Author: iandthoureflections

The Gift of Comfort

The Season of Gift-Giving: Gifts That Nourish

Gift Idea #7: Tea Basket

Let’s bring comfort to this holiday season.
Let’s offer warmth with a simple tea kit—each item a reminder to pause. To slow down. To smell the fragrance. To appreciate the season.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.— Matthew 11:28

Comfort is sacred. It is God’s work in us and through us. A cup of herbal tea reminds us that comfort often begins in simple ways. Like putting the kettle on. Waiting to hear the kettle whistle.
Pouring the water into the cup.
Steeping the tea.
It’s a simple way to slow down. It provides time to pray or hear God tug on your heart. To appreciate the simple things in life. Like a hot cup of tea.

God doesn’t send us anxiety or loneliness. He meets us in those moments and guides us toward peace.

A cup of tea becomes more than a drink—it becomes a reminder that we matter. Take time to rest and recharge. And when you feel energized, give that same gift to someone else.

Comfort whispers:

We all need rest.
We matter, no matter what others think.
We can find peace in the fragrant beverage.
We can be refreshed.

Materials

  • Herbal tea bags (chamomile, peppermint, lavender for calming aroma)
  • Honey stick or sugar packet
  • Small mug or teacup
  • Napkin or tissue
  • Small pouch, box, or basket
  • Optional: scripture card, candle, cinnamon stick, or dried herbs for fragrance

Instructions:

  1. Gather a few tea items and place them neatly in a pouch, box, or basket.
  2. Add a note: “This kit is a reminder to pause and rest. May God’s peace warm your soul.” (See more below)
  3. Seal with care and, if desired, decorate with ribbon, dried flowers, cinnamon stick, or a sprig of lavender for aroma.

Sample Notes

  • May this tea’s aroma remind you of God’s calming presence.
  • Pause, sip, and breathe—God is near.
  • Comfort is sacred. Rest is holy. Enjoy your cup of tea.

Let this gift be a blessing. A sacred whisper that says, “All is well with your soul.”

Let’s Offer the Gift of Comfort
to Ourselves & to Others.

Image Credit: “Spot Of Tea Gift Set” by
Kristin Roach is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

#Comfort #GiftsThatNourish #Faith #SacredGifts #GiftsThatMatter #GiftsOfHope #PresenceInThePresents #MeaningfulGifts #SoulGifts #Holidays

The Gift of Healing

The Season of Gift-Giving: Gifts that Nourish

Gift Idea #6: First Aid Kit

Let’s bring healing to this holiday season.
Let’s offer care with a simple first aid kit—each item a reminder that God tends to our wounds and calls us to love one another.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
— Psalm 147:3

Healing is sacred. It is God’s work in us and through us. A bandage and ointment—remind us that restoration often begins in simple ways. Like saying a prayer that we are not alone. Or to whisper in someone’s ear that God is nearby.

God doesn’t cause us pain. He walks with us through the pain and guides us to the other side.

Healing reminds us all that:

God is the Great Healer.
We are called to care for one another.
It all begins with compassion.

Materials

  • Bandages or adhesive strips in all sizes
  • Antiseptic wipes or ointment
  • Tissues or gauze
  • A water bottle
  • A pouch, tin, or box
  • Optional: tweezers, card with scripture or prayer

Instructions

  • Gather a few basic first aid items.
  • Place them neatly in a pouch, tin, or box.
  • Add a note: “This kit is a reminder that healing begins with care. May God’s love restore you.”
  • Seal with care and, if desired, decorate with ribbon or stickers.

Sample Notes

  • May these items remind you of God’s healing touch.
  • Healing begins with compassion.
  • You are cared for, held, and restored.
  • God is the Divine Healer.

Let this gift be a blessing.
A healing balm.
A sacred whisper that says, “You are being healed.”

Let’s Offer the Gift of Healing
to Ourselves & to Others.

First Aid Kit
Image Credit: “First Aid Kit”
by dlg_images is licensed under CC BY 2.0.




#Healing #GiftsThatNourish #Faith #SacredGifts #GiftsThatMatter #GiftsOfHope #PresenceInThePresents #MeaningfulGifts #SoulGifts #Holidays

The Gift of Growth

The Season of Gift-Giving: Gifts That Nourish

Gift Idea #5: Seeds of Growth

Let’s plant growth this holiday season with seeds.
Let’s offer nourishment and fruit, vegetables, or herbs—each one a reminder that God brings increase in due time.

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed… though it is the smallest, it grows into the largest of garden plants.
— Matthew 13:31–32

Growth is sacred. It is daily, steady, and often unseen until it blossoms. Growth reminds us that God is at work. Even if it starts tiny. The Spirit whispers, keep going. Keep growing. God will tend to it and bring forth fruit.

Growth reminds us all that:

Nourishment comes from God.
Small seeds can lead to abundance.
We are becoming what we created to be.

Materials

  • Small packet of food seeds (beans, herbs, grains)
  • Small envelope, pouch, or planter
  • Pen or marker
  • Optional: ribbon, sticker, or recipe card

Instructions

  1. Place the seed packet in the envelope, pouch, or planter.
  2. Add a note: “Plant these seeds as a reminder that growth is ongoing even if we can’t see it. Watch as nature unfolds the harvest.”
  3. Seal with care and, if desired, decorate.

Sample Notes

  • “Growth starts small but ends in nourishing the body and soul.
  • “Plant, tend, and trust: God does the rest.”
  • “These seeds remind us that growth is a gift of patience.”

Let this gift be a blessing.
A nourishment.
A sacred whisper that says, “You are becoming.”

Let’s Offer the Gift of Growth
to Ourselves & to Others.

Image Credit: “Food Baskets at ‘We Garden in Capitol Park’ Event in Sacramento”
by ProComKelly is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

#Growth #GiftsThatNourish #Faith #SacredGifts #GiftsThatMatter #GiftsOfHope #PresenceInThePresents #MeaningfulGifts #SoulGifts #Holidays

The Gift of Strength

The Season of Gift-Giving: Gifts That Nourish

Gift Idea #4: Stone Garden

Let’s gather stones to serve as an anchor this holiday season.
An anchor of strength.
An anchor of resilience.

Let’s offer comfort, encouragement, and sacred presence one stone at a time as we create a visual and tactile reminder of God’s promises.

These stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.
— Joshua 4:7

Stones are sacred. They remind us of the earth’s foundation—the foundation of our relationships and the cornerstone of our homes. They anchor us and whisper that God is our rock and redeemer.

Here’s how we can create a stone garden that will last for years to come. It will be a constant reminder of the strength the recipient has within themselves.

Materials:

  • Smooth stones (garden, river, or craft store)
  • Permanent marker or paint pen
  • Small tray, bowl, or cloth pouch
  • Optional: moss, sand, or dried flowers for presentation, container, dirt, card, or note

Instructions:

  1. Wash and dry the stones.
  2. Write a short scripture, word, or phrase on each. Examples:
    • Peace – John 14:27
    • Trust – Proverbs 3:5
    • Be Still – Psalm 46:10
    • Hope – Isaiah 40:31
  3. Place them in a pouch, basket, dish, or planter.
  4. Add a note or card,

Let this gift be a blessing. A foundation. A sacred whisper that says, “You are held.”

Card Example:

“May these stones anchor you in strength and grace. May they remind you—you are beloved, held, and never alone.”

This gift is more than a decoration. It’s a garden of truth and stability—a sacred invitation to lean on God and to hold scripture close.

Let’s Offer the Gift of Strength
to Ourselves & to Others.

Image Credit: “Mini stone Garden” by rumpleteaser is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

#Strength #GiftsThatNourish #Faith #SacredGifts #GiftsThatMatter #GiftsOfHope #PresenceInThePresents #MeaningfulGifts #SoulGifts #Holidays

The Gift of Hope

The Season of Gift-Giving: Gifts That Nourish

Gift Idea #3: Wildflower Seeds in Envelope

Let’s plant hope this holiday season.
Hope for more sacred time.
Hope for new beginnings.

Let’s offer hope with flower seeds, each one a whisper of new things to come, faith in nature, and how we can all bloom and become more beautiful.

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen. — Hebrews 11:1

Hope is sacred. It carries us when the way ahead feels uncertain. It reminds us that even in winter, spring is coming. Hope anchors us. It encourages us to take baby steps. Each day.

Hope is a promise. A promise of God’s enduring love.

Hope reminds us all that:
Beauty can rise from deep, dark places.
God’s promises are alive, even when we can’t see them.
There is light at the end of the tunnel. We need to keep going until we see the sliver of light through the cracks.

Materials:

  • Small packet of flower seeds (wildflowers, sunflowers, lavender)
  • Small envelope or pouch
  • Pen or marker
  • Optional: ribbon, sticker, or pressed flower

Instructions:

  1. Place the seed packet in the envelope or pouch.
  2. Add a note: “Plant these seeds as a reminder that hope grows in dark places. Watch for beauty to unfold right before your eyes.” (See more samples below)
  3. Seal with care and, if desired, decorate.

Sample Notes

  • “Hope is planted in faith, watered with prayer, and blooms in God’s time.”
  • “These seeds carry the promise of beauty yet to come—just as hope carries us forward.”
  • “Plant, wait, and trust: hope is alive.”

Let this gift be a blessing. A promise. A sacred whisper that says, “Hope is here.”

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.
— Psalm 126:5

Let’s Offer the Gift of Hope
to Ourselves & to Others.

Image Credit: “Wildflower Mix Bloom from Seed Packet” by Faybba is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

#Hope #GiftsThatNourish #Faith #SacredGifts #GiftsThatMatter #GiftsOfHope #PresenceInThePresents #MeaningfulGifts #SoulGifts #Holidays

The Gift of Prayer

The Season of Gift-Giving: Gifts That Nourish

Gift Idea #2: A Prayer Scroll

What better gift to give than a prayer?

Let’s bless someone with a prayer.
Let’s pray for one another.
Let’s lift someone up in prayer.
Let’s offer a handwritten prayer on a scroll – a whisper of kindness, faith in humanity, and a sacred belonging.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’— Isaiah 30:21

Prayers are sacred. They anchor us in grace. They speak to the soul. And a prayer scroll carries a certain reverence.
It invites unrolling.
Slowly.
With care.

Prayers remind us all that:

We are loved.
We belong.
We are not alone.

Materials:

  • Strip of parchment, kraft paper, or cardstock (approx. 3–4 inches wide, 8–12 inches long)
  • Pen or printed prayer
  • Ribbon, twine, or wax seal
  • Optional: pressed flower, small charm, or sprig of rosemary/lavender

Instructions:

  1. Write or print a short prayer (see example below).
  2. Roll the paper gently into a scroll.
  3. Tie with ribbon or twine.
  4. Add a tag: “A prayer for you. Unroll when you need peace.”

Sample Prayer

Creator God,

Bless (name of person) as they walk through this season. Help them to feel your presence.
Be their rest.
Be their guide.
Be their comfort.
Be their hope.
You are with them.
You are for them.
Let (name of person) know they are enough.
And their presence is Your gift to the world.

Amen.

Let this gift be a blessing.
A balm.
A sacred whisper that says, “You are loved.”

This gift is more than paper. It soothes the soul and breathes life back into us. A sacred whisper for the road ahead.

Let’s Offer the Gift of Prayer
to Ourselves & to Others

Image Credit: “scrolls” by Hc_07 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. 

#Prayer #GiftsThatNourish #Faith #SacredGifts #GiftsThatMatter #Gifts OfHope #PresenceInThePrsents #MeaningfulGifts #SoulGifts #Holidays

The Gift of Affirmation

The Season of Gift-Giving: Gifts That Nourish


Gift Idea #1: Blessing Envelope with Affirmations

Let’s bless someone this holiday season with affirmations.
Let’s offer encouragement with handwritten affirmations – each one a whisper of kindness, faith in humanity, and sacred belonging.

Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ — Joel 3:10

Affirmations are sacred. They refresh us. They remind us of what is true when we forget. They anchor us in grace. They speak gently to the soul. Affirmations soothe the soul and breathe life back into us.

Affirmations remind us all that:

We are loved.
We belong.
We are not alone.

Materials:

  • Small envelope or pouch
  • 5–10 slips of paper or cardstock
  • Pen or marker
  • Optional: ribbon, sticker, or pressed flower

Instructions:

  1. Write one affirmation per slip of paper.
  2. Place them in the envelope and seal with care.
  3. Add a note: “These are truths to hold onto. Pull one when you need a reminder of who you are. A child deeply loved by the Almighty God.”

Sample Affirmations:

  • I am deeply loved and never alone.
  • God’s grace is enough for me today.
  • I am held, even when I feel uncertain.
  • My presence matters.
  • My story matters.
  • I am being gently led, one step at a time.
  • I am allowed to rest.
  • I am safe in God’s care.
  • I carry light, even in the darkness.
  • I belong—fully, freely, and forever.
  • I am not broken.
  • I am becoming.
  • I am a vessel of peace and compassion.

Let this gift be a blessing.
A balm.
A sacred whisper that says, “You matter.”

Let’s Offer the Gift of Affirmations
to Ourselves & to Others.

“women’s day affirmations” by fatty crafter is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

#Affirmation #GiftsThatNourish #Faith #SacredGifts #GiftsThatMatter #GiftsOfHope #PresenceInThePresents #MeaningfulGifts #SoulGifts #Holidays

The Gift of Creativity

The Season of Gift-Giving: Gifts That Nourish

Gift Idea Example in Action: Soap in a Dish with Note

This series is about simple gifts—made with care.
Each one, uniquely made with stuff already hiding in your home.

What can you give that nourishes?
Who might need a gift of comfort this season?
How can your creativity become compassion?

When we think of the holiday season, we naturally think about presents. This year, the challenge is to think about presence in the presents. Think of what you can make if you had ten or fifteen minutes.

Before we begin our gift ideas with instructions, let’s prepare our hearts for the season of giving.

To offer what we have.
To share what we create.
To nourish others with love.

If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry…
— Isaiah 58:10

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have…
— Hebrews 13:16

Freely you have received; freely give.
— Matthew 10:8

So you see, Jesus wants us to give. To give our time and our talents to those we wish to bless. Let’s invite God to prepare our hearts to create, to share, and to love.

I’ll go first.

As I have been thinking about this series, I decided to make December a GIVING month.

My goal is to create gifts from the heart for the people I will be encountering this month. Nothing grandiose. Just a simple gift from something I already have in my home.

Lord,
Help me come up with a gift idea for the healthcare professional I’ll be seeing today. Give me the words to write a meaningful note. Fill my heart with gratitude.
Amen

Gift Idea Example: Soap

Materials:

  • Soap
  • Glass dish or plate
  • Card or note paper
  • Cellophane, tissue paper, or wrapping paper
  • Optional: gift bag

Instructions:

  1. Place soap on or in a glass dish or plate.
  2. Wrap
  3. Place in a gift bag.
  4. Write a note that will be meaningful for the recipient. Use AI to generate ideas for you.

Gift Idea in Action:

Yesterday, I had a medical appointment.

I took a small bar of soap, placed it in a small glass dish, and wrapped it in cellophane with a gold elastic string. I found a Christmas Card and wrote a note describing how the glass represents transparency and integrity, and the soap represents the healing her hands do each day. I placed it in a small gift bag and left it on the counter. I didn’t sign the card.

Why? It was my way of saying “Thank You.” How will she receive the gift? Well, let’s just say that is up to God!

December is about presence. And to me, that means to extend a gesture to those who least expect it. And the rest is up to God.

Let’s give differently this year. Let’s give from the heart.

Let’s Offer the Gift of Creativity
to Ourselves & to Others.

Image Credit: “Being creative with wax crayons…”
by netsnake is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 

#Creativity #Transparency #GiftsThatNourish #Faith #SacredGifts #GiftsThatMatter #GiftsOfHope #PresenceInThePresents #MeaningfulGifts #SoulGifts #Holidays

Gifts That Nourish

The Season of Gift-Giving

December marks the season of gift-giving.
Yet, sometimes, it can quickly overwhelm us.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. — 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Let’s encourage each other.
Let’s build one another up.
Let’s create gifts together.

For your partner, family, friends, neighbor, coworker, or a service provider.

Over the next few weeks, easy-to-make gift ideas will nourish our souls as we make and give them away.

In a world that is so chaotic right now, these ideas are simple, yet tangible ways to remind us all that:

We are loved.
We belong.
We are not alone.

Let’s pause this year-long enough to weave a little bit of our souls into easy-to-do, make-from-home gifts to put a smile on someone’s face.

As you follow along this December, may these gifts inspire you to create, to bless, and to nourish. May they remind you that giving is not about what we place in someone’s hands—it’s about what we put in their heart.

Let’s Offer the
Gift of Inspiration
to ourselves & to others.

Image Credit: “Gourmet Taste of Italy Basket” by SherryCreates
is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

#GiftsThatNourish #Faith #SacredGifts #GiftsThatMatter #GiftsOfHope #PresenceInThePresents #MeaningfulGifts #SoulGifts #Holidays