Robert Fulgham, in his book "It Was on Fire When I lay Down On It" tells a story about his 7-year-old daughter, Molly.

Molly enjoyed doing things for others, especially making lunches for herself, her father, and her brothers. She would include sandwiches, apples, milk money, and often a special treat, and even a note.

On one particular morning, Molly gave to her father two bags as he was about to leave for his office. The contained what he had come to accept as a regular lunch sack, the other was sealed with duct tape, staples and paper clips. When he asked Molly the reason for two bags, she said it was just some stuff that she wanted him to take along to the office. He kissed his daughter, after stuffing the two bags into his briefcase, and went off to work.

He enjoyed the lunch, especially knowing it was put together by his daughter. Then he remembered the second bag. As he opened it, he took out two hair ribbons, three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a pencil stub, a tiny seashell, two animal crackers, a marble, a used lipstick, a small doll, two chocolate kisses, and thirteen pennies. He smiled and pushed the items into his wastebasket, as they were something he did not need.

After he arrived home that evening, and was reading the newspaper, he was aware that Molly was standing beside him. She asked about her bag and said she would like to have it back. Her father told her he had left it at the office, and asked why she wanted it back. She said, "Those are my things in the sack, Daddy, the ones I really like. I thought you might like to play with them, but now I want them back. You didn't lose the bag, did you, Daddy?

Her father felt pangs of remorse as he saw tears filling her eyes. He told her he had just forgotten to bring it home.

That night he went back to his office and retrieved the "treasures" Molly had given him. He wrote, "Love in a paper sack and I had missed it. Not only missed it, but had thrown it in the wastebasket because there wasn't anything in there I needed." It is so easy to see only items and not the love that has gone into putting the items together. The suggestion to look beyond the gift, to what it represents, is a good one to keep in mind as we share in the lives of our children, as well as our friends.