Free gifts, important strings, and Christian Science treatment

We’d probably tend to agree that a gift, in order to truly be a gift, has to be freely given. No strings attached, as the saying goes. The moment something is given with any other motive than the pure joy of giving, it becomes something else. The delight at being able to tangibly express the love you feel can be as much of a gift to the giver as it is to the receiver. 

But what about the other side of the coin? Does it matter how we receive what is freely given? Have you ever noticed that the most treasured gifts are the ones that we, as recipients, have attached certain strings of meaning to? Some memory, some shared experience, some touching aspect of the gift gives it its value to us. Clearly, the issue isn’t just the gift, but whether we recognize and are grateful for the love that prompted it.