Her Name is Georgia, Part 5 (Christmas Eve morning)

This post is a continuation of Her Name is Georgia, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. Please read the previous posts first if you haven’t already.)

“Every good and perfect gift is from above.” – James 1:17

This morning, the girls and I surprised Georgia with breakfast. When we arrived at her house, Isabelle and Jocelyn headed straight for the living room to find their favorite little friends – matching chipmunks that sing, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” While the girls played, Georgia and I talked in the kitchen.

“Georgia, do you have any photos of you when you were younger? I’d like to see your family,” I said. She paused for a second, as if trying to remember where the pictures were, and then motioned to a large, black trunk. It was padlocked. Georgia searched through her stash of keys, and once she found the matching one, she unlocked the trunk. Inside were close to 20 albums. She pulled out a white one from the middle, handed it to me, and we sat down.

Georgia was beautiful. A carefree, happy woman, probably in her late 20s, stared back at me. In many of the photos, she was surrounded by family – her parents, sister, brother, and niece. A few pictures were of her with friends. There were also work-related magazine articles and group photos of the kindergarten classes she taught. Georgia’s eyes lit up when she saw the children.

I was so intrigued by this glimpse into her past that I asked if I could see more. She let me choose the next album. When I opened it up, I was speechless. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Georgia had pages and pages of her own artwork and poems. Not only that, but they were good. “Georgia, this is amazing,” I told her. “You are very talented. These things should not be locked in a box!” I felt as if I had uncovered a treasure that had been buried for years.

After looking through two or three more albums, it was time for us to go. I reminded Georgia that I would be back at 5:30pm to pick her up for Christmas Eve dinner with us. Isabelle said, “Miss Georgia, you get to open presents tonight!” Georgia’s reply was, “And, I thought you people were my present!”

I had to laugh when she said that because I have been thinking exactly the same thing about her. Georgia is the greatest gift our family will receive this Christmas.