Giving without expectation...

I'm a lucky guy, not just because I get to wake up each morning in reasonable health and safety or I live in one of the best countries in the world, or even that I have a personal ethos of ownership, responsibility and discipline that has seen me pull through some pretty terrible times and thrive...But mainly because I get to share all of that with my wife; An incredibly special person who I have been honoured to have been with for the last 31 years. The image below shows us together (with our niece) in a photo taken recently when we were in Europe. We have had many happy times together, with more to come I hope.

This week after returning home from Europe we received some very bad news which will affect both of us and we have had a lot on our minds, Faith (my wife) especially. We will work through it of course, together, and with the same tenacity we have applied to every trial or tribulation we have experienced.

This morning prior to me going to work my wife stopped me and said she had something to give me. I thought she meant a kiss, which I eventually received, but it was in fact something quite different. Faith handed me a small paper bag and told me she had gotten this for me a little while ago and was going to give it to me at some stage when the moment was right. She also said that considering the situation we had recently been made aware of she felt now was that moment. Now, just to clarify, neither one of us are in peril however someone close to us is and our focus (especially Faith's) will be on that person for however long it's required and Faith felt that she wanted me to have this little gift now, before things got (potentially) very bleak and sorrowful.

I opened the box and realised what she had handed me. Now, it must be said that Faith is not the greatest fan of me stacking, she tolerates it, but it's not really her thing. (I don't get it as rolling in pirate treasure is awesome...) So, for her to hand me this gift was beyond comprehension and I was blown away!

The 1 ounce silver piece you see honours the Army, Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Airforce, the tri-service military organisation responsible for the defence of our nation by land, sea and air. It came in a nice velvet-lined box which sits within its own box decorated with images of the three services. It was minted in 2018 by the Royal Australian Mint. I was totally mind-blown that she would ever think to give me something like this considering her non-interest in stacking. Mind-blown!

I was, and still am, somewhat speechless and am looking forward to Faith coming in from work so I can thank her once again for the thought. Yes, the thought. The coin itself is amazing, but more importantly to me is the thought she has put into the gift, the effort she went to in obtaining it and the emotion she felt in giving it to me in this troubled time. For those that don't know I am a war-history addict and have the utmost of respect for those who have served in the military, or continue to do so, which is also why the coin is so valuable to me. I know she paid more than the simple ounce of silver is worth but the meaning of the coin goes far above the simple metal-value and I will cherish this piece more highly than the rest, just as I cherish my wife more highly than the rest...As it should be. So, you're reading the words of a very humbled and grateful man.

Oh...Just to let you know (if you read all the way down here) I am going to give away a 1 ounce silver coin in the not too distant future to a steemit user, posted to the nominated address of the person who wins it, anywhere in the world. If you're interested stay tuned to my blog and look for details. By the way, it's not a contest or challenge or anything dumb like that, it's a simple giveaway done by a (videoed) draw from the entrants names. I will post about it sometime soon when all the details are worked out so stay tuned. If you're not interested then that's ok too.

Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a great weekend!