Cherished Gifts

Sometimes we receive gifts and don’t realize how special they are until time passes. It’s not that we don’t appreciate them, we just don’t recognize how much the gift means to us at the time.

I had just graduated from the police academy and Mom wanted to know what I could use for a gift. I told her a Buck knife would be handy, having the classic 110 folder in mind — you know the one.

Mom got me the Buck Ranger 112, the shorter version. Knowing better to look a “gift horse” in the mouth, I graciously thanked her, kissing her cheek. Although it wasn’t exactly the knife I wanted, I never let on.

First Night

A few days later I’m getting ready for my first midnight shift and nervously slide the leather sheath onto my “Sam Brown” just behind my Ruger Service-Six .38 Special. For 27 years the sheath stays there, although numerous guns and holsters change throughout my career. I buy a spare nylon sheath so I can carry the knife while hunting.

I quickly learned the Ranger is perfect for field dressing, cutting flex cuffs, slicing chunks of venison stick, and other cutting chores. The more I used it, the more I loved it. The knife taught me disappointment can actually work out for the better.

Schooled By Mom

My Mom was a great mother. From a young age she taught me to fend for myself. She sent me to Pennsylvania the first week of every summer vacation, exposing me to my grandparents, uncles and farm life.

Developing a deep love for the family farm and country way of life, it was the greatest gift she ever gave me. She wanted to me to know how to do the basic things, and let me learn from my mistakes, knowing experience and self-taught lessons are the best teacher. Thanks to her, I could cook by the third grade and continue to do so for my family today.

Nothing Lasts Forever

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. I carried my Ranger knife 27 years and continued carrying it every time I went into the woods after retiring. It brought me luck and was my ‘good medicine’.

After walking out of the woods one full moon night, I stow my gear in my Tahoe. Reaching back, my heart sinks, an empty feeling socking me in my stomach. The comforting heft of the Buck knife is gone!

I figure the belt loop stitches let go on the old sheath. I immediately backtrack, searching with my flashlight. Although my hunt was successful with a nice 8 pointer, my hunt for the Buck knife was not.

I search for several days, and every time I hunt there, to no avail. The gift I once considered imperfect quickly became a cherished favorite. Now it was gone.

No Better Mom

Mom retired after 37 years, working 6 days a week at the grocery store. Two years later she slips on ice, breaking her pelvis and five vertebrae. She’s diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a blood cancer.

On Memorial Day she’s sent home to die. Still, she’s happy to be returning home, just wanting to enjoy her morning coffee while listening to the birds sing. It’s the simple things we appreciate when we’re denied their comfort.

Mom’s first morning home, the phone rings. Worried, I quickly answer. “Good morning!” Mom sings out, “I’m sitting on my deck, having my coffee,” as I hear chirping birds in the background. Choking down tears, I try speaking, but something’s grabbing my throat.

I take off every Wednesday and visit on weekends, helping out any way possible. Mom dies the last day of August. I have the fortune of telling her how wonderful she is, and that I love her. With heavy heart, I get one last weak hug. “No boy could have a better mom,” are my last words to her.

Lost Treasures

Unfortunately, there’s times we all lose something we love and it’s usually out of our control. These lost treasures are memories to be cherished.

Don’t ever feel like you’ve gotten the short end of the blade. Appreciate what you have — and had. How you look at life makes all the difference in the world.

Sometimes it takes us awhile to recognize our most cherished gifts. That was another great life lesson Mom taught me.

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Roy Huntington with the Lee Precision Ultimate Turret Press

First Night

Schooled By Mom

Nothing Lasts Forever

No Better Mom

Lost Treasures

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