Last summer (2007) I struck gold at the thrift store.

I started out looking for pants, but soon realized they have electronics too. I found a great USB extension cable (of which they had many) and soon uncovered what I consider to be a great treasure – an APC Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) – a electronic backup battery (generally for computers).

Not believing my luck, I found the nearest power outlet and plugged it in. The lights came on, and when I pushed the button marked “TEST” a buzzer sounded. I made it mine.

When I got home I performed one additional test. I plugged the battery into the wall and my cell phone into the battery. After about an hour I pulled the batteries plug from the wall. My phone stopped charging. I tried it on other devices with the same results. The UPS went into the closet.

Then along came WishCraze – the up-and-coming wishlist web site that’s going make giving gifts so much easier (I may be biased). A replacement battery for my UPS found its way onto my wish list and waited to be found.

Sometime before February 12 (my birthday) my wish list fell into the hands of some potential gift-givers (my parents). A short time later my friend Rick knocked on my door to deliver my new battery. It was the exact shape, size, and storage capacity that I was hoping for, yet I’d never said a word about it to anyone. I was thrilled! The UPS emerged from the closet.

Last night I stayed up late to work some more features into the official WishCraze web site. One particular page just wasn’t loading properly which caused me to search through lines of code to find the missing semicolon or mis-assigned variable. All at once, the lights flickered, the heater hiccuped, and a buzz pierced the stillness of the night. Lines of code still glowed on my screen.

Gifts do more than make people smile. Good gifts bless people’s lives. The gifts may be big and the gifts may be small, but the real value comes from the blessings they bring. I hope those who visit WishCraze will see beyond the material items that get put on lists and realize how wonderful good gifts can be.

Filed under: Archive