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- Sep 1, 2013
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How to best express my gratitude to my friend Jack Black? That's a question that I pondered between meetings and conference calls throughout the day. And what exactly can I say about the man's generosity and thoughtfulness that isn't already well known and appreciated by the fine folks on this forum? In the end, I decided to answer those questions in the same manner that I answered my kids when they asked me "who is Jack Black?".
I told them that Jack is a friend; albeit one that I've never met in person, but still one of the finest gentlemen I've had the privilege to know. I told them that he's an astounding travel writer and story teller; and an avid collector and appreciator of both new and old knives. I told them that he's witty, and kind, and knowledgable, and incredibly generous with both his time and possessions. They'd already been able to witness that kindness and generosity in the past as we all admired the knives and coins he'd previously sent me. And, they wondered aloud why someone in England would send me such fine gifts. My answer to them was and is, because Jack is truly one of the best guys in the world!
With the most recent Royal Mail package to be delivered, Jack managed to include my kids and my wife in on the fun as well - and so this thank you is from all of us.
I wish that I had thought to take a photo of the package itself. As this wasn't my first package from Jack, I noticed right off that he had stepped up his packing efforts and wondered to myself if that was a result of the misfortune he had with his recent shipment to Charlie (a fact that he confirmed in the letter he enclosed). Trust me when I tell you that in this instance it was fortuitous to be a knife aficionado as a sharp blade and some elbow grease were required to gain access to the package and its contents. We had just finished a cookout and were all sitting around the table as I began pulling items from the remains of the previously heavily-fortified package. I always like to read the accompanying letter or note (if there is one) first before unwrapping gifts, so as those of you with children can probably guess, what followed was a couple minutes of prodding and pleading from my kids for me to 'hurry up and finish reading' and get on with the unpacking (and that was before they knew there was anything in the package for them).
My daughter was the first to jump the gun. Recognizing a still bubble-wrapped little LED torch/light to be in the shape of a pig, she exclaimed - "I love Pigs, can I have that?" Now by this point, I had read the letter just far enough to realize that Jack had included some gifts for the kids, but not far enough yet to know what else was in the package and whether or not the pig shaped torch was intended for her, so I politely reminded her that her Mom was fond of pigs as well and offered myself up as proof.
But the genie was out of the bottle by that point and she ran off with the 'pig torch' while the boys began to dive into the box as well, and managed to pull out a pair of paracord bracelets with each boy immediately claiming his favorite. I could't help but smile as the last of the kids left the table excited about his plunder. My wife was fascinated that Jack was able to pick out gifts that the kids loved so well, and as I was unwrapping another bundle she noticed a little box that contained a small pottery miniature scene of London. She promptly told me that I could keep whatever else was left in the box, but that the miniature was now hers. 
Finally left alone and in peace to examine the rest of the package, I managed to unwrap three wonderful knives, a treasure trove of English coins, a couple brochures/maps, and a Yorkshire Rose pin. I rounded everyone's goodies back up for a group photo last night before they were dispersed again, and then managed to take a few individual photos of the knives this afternoon.
Jack recalled that I like wood handled folders and so included the following two absolutely wonderful knives (a walnut scaled Trevor Ablett and a bubinga scaled Maserin):
I was so excited after looking over the coins and Yorkshire Rose pin and of course handling the beautiful Trevor Ablett and Maserin knives that I almost overlooked the last tiny bubble wrapped package which contained the following, a gorgeous little John Watts penknife.
As you can see, each gift was uniquely special and incredibly thoughtful, just like their sender.
So Jack, on behalf of my wife (Elizabeth), our children (Lauren, Jacob and Conner) and myself; please accept our heartfelt and profound thanks. Your gifts are greatly appreciated and your friendship even more so. And I'll close by sharing one final question that my son Conner asked me last night - he asked, "Dad, is everyone in England as nice as your friend Jack?"
I told them that Jack is a friend; albeit one that I've never met in person, but still one of the finest gentlemen I've had the privilege to know. I told them that he's an astounding travel writer and story teller; and an avid collector and appreciator of both new and old knives. I told them that he's witty, and kind, and knowledgable, and incredibly generous with both his time and possessions. They'd already been able to witness that kindness and generosity in the past as we all admired the knives and coins he'd previously sent me. And, they wondered aloud why someone in England would send me such fine gifts. My answer to them was and is, because Jack is truly one of the best guys in the world!
With the most recent Royal Mail package to be delivered, Jack managed to include my kids and my wife in on the fun as well - and so this thank you is from all of us.
I wish that I had thought to take a photo of the package itself. As this wasn't my first package from Jack, I noticed right off that he had stepped up his packing efforts and wondered to myself if that was a result of the misfortune he had with his recent shipment to Charlie (a fact that he confirmed in the letter he enclosed). Trust me when I tell you that in this instance it was fortuitous to be a knife aficionado as a sharp blade and some elbow grease were required to gain access to the package and its contents. We had just finished a cookout and were all sitting around the table as I began pulling items from the remains of the previously heavily-fortified package. I always like to read the accompanying letter or note (if there is one) first before unwrapping gifts, so as those of you with children can probably guess, what followed was a couple minutes of prodding and pleading from my kids for me to 'hurry up and finish reading' and get on with the unpacking (and that was before they knew there was anything in the package for them).
My daughter was the first to jump the gun. Recognizing a still bubble-wrapped little LED torch/light to be in the shape of a pig, she exclaimed - "I love Pigs, can I have that?" Now by this point, I had read the letter just far enough to realize that Jack had included some gifts for the kids, but not far enough yet to know what else was in the package and whether or not the pig shaped torch was intended for her, so I politely reminded her that her Mom was fond of pigs as well and offered myself up as proof.
But the genie was out of the bottle by that point and she ran off with the 'pig torch' while the boys began to dive into the box as well, and managed to pull out a pair of paracord bracelets with each boy immediately claiming his favorite. I could't help but smile as the last of the kids left the table excited about his plunder. My wife was fascinated that Jack was able to pick out gifts that the kids loved so well, and as I was unwrapping another bundle she noticed a little box that contained a small pottery miniature scene of London. She promptly told me that I could keep whatever else was left in the box, but that the miniature was now hers. Finally left alone and in peace to examine the rest of the package, I managed to unwrap three wonderful knives, a treasure trove of English coins, a couple brochures/maps, and a Yorkshire Rose pin. I rounded everyone's goodies back up for a group photo last night before they were dispersed again, and then managed to take a few individual photos of the knives this afternoon.
Jack recalled that I like wood handled folders and so included the following two absolutely wonderful knives (a walnut scaled Trevor Ablett and a bubinga scaled Maserin):
I was so excited after looking over the coins and Yorkshire Rose pin and of course handling the beautiful Trevor Ablett and Maserin knives that I almost overlooked the last tiny bubble wrapped package which contained the following, a gorgeous little John Watts penknife.
As you can see, each gift was uniquely special and incredibly thoughtful, just like their sender.
So Jack, on behalf of my wife (Elizabeth), our children (Lauren, Jacob and Conner) and myself; please accept our heartfelt and profound thanks. Your gifts are greatly appreciated and your friendship even more so. And I'll close by sharing one final question that my son Conner asked me last night - he asked, "Dad, is everyone in England as nice as your friend Jack?"
Stephen is a very generous and thoughtful person himself, as are most of our regulars here I think, and I've been the recipient of his kindness more than once.
