• A wide open plane, void of sound. Floating through this vast expanse, lost. Then one day a sharp cry pierces my ears, the sound of pain. I open my eyes and see light all around me, blinding in its brilliance. The sounds are closer now, near deafening in their volume. What has become of my solitude, what happened to my endless expanse of nothingness? My mind is assaulted with sights, smells, sounds, tastes, feelings that before did not exist. Something stirs inside my chest, a soft repetitious thumping. Something warm flows beneath my skin, a gentle rhythmic pulsing. The nothingness is gone, the void is no more. It is replaced by wonder, horror, excitement, joy! Things I knew of, but not felt. This constant firing inside my brain, all these images, sounds, emotions, people. Tears fall from my eyes as I am overcome by sensation. This is so much different than my existence! This is so much better than my existence! Better, better, better. Everything seems so, but why? What have I done for this? Why have I been given a gift so grand, for an effort so bland? The answer dawns on me immediately. It is exactly that. It is a gift, and gifts are given freely with no precedence or renumeration. Gifts are meant to be free. My heart overflows, my chin becomes wet by the flood now draining my face. I feel so full of love, this amazing gift given to me is more than I could ever ask for. More than I could ever give in return. This gift is a token of the greatest love, and for that I thank you.