He was an extraordinarily sweet kid. Only six years old, but already he’d had a lifetime of hard. The stuff no child should experience.

John was the beloved nephew of my old friend. She and her husband spent as much time with him as they could, trying to give him the stability and love his troubled mom and absent father couldn’t. They’d have taken him in if his mother would have allowed it. But she wouldn’t. She couldn’t get out of her own way. Or her boy’s.

One Christmas, the aunt and uncle put their heads together and when the big day arrived, they handed John their one gift to him. No doubt his eyes lit up as he peeled the wrapping away. Then, he caught sight of the socks beneath the torn paper.

Many kids would have had disappointment written all over their faces. Some would have boldly asked, "Is that all?" But this boy didn’t have much, so he smiled big, said thank you, and really meant it. Maybe he was grateful just to get anything.

His uncle told John to check the socks. Make sure they’re right.

That’s when a few batteries fell out. The kind that powered the cheap, handheld video game that was also hidden in the footwear. The kid was thrilled. Christmas came big.

Then, John spotted something else. Tickets for Disney World. A trip with his aunt and uncle. The boy was thrilled. For maybe the first time in his life, he had something big, really big, to look forward to.

My friend said when they walked into the Magic Kingdom, the problems they carried with them melted away. They ate all the treats, went on the rides, hugged the characters, and acted like the family the boy didn’t have. Disney was a great gift, but it wasn’t THE gift, which was giving John a few days of being of being carefree, being fully loved, being a child - things he didn't have at home. A child needs to feel special. Loved. Like he’s worth more than socks.

When his aunt and uncle bought him souvenirs, he didn’t keep them for himself. Instead this six-year-old gave them away, one by one, to other kids he saw in the Kingdom. Kindness in scarcity.

It all makes me wonder If the rest of us can be happy with less, the figurative socks that life hands us. Can we be grateful for the smallest gifts even when we wanted or needed more? And can we believe that perhaps we will receive beyond what we see initially in the package of our circumstances- and be truly grateful when we find it.