The Power of Giving

Sometimes people approach the holidays with resentment. They feel the season’s been commercialized; they focus on the buying and doing aspect of the holidays and lose the possibility of joy. Yet the principle of giving is inherent in the season. Thus the potential for learning how to give is an immediate undertaking for everyone. It would seem that re-framing the way we interpret giving could change our response to the holidays. Happiness lies in the spirit of giving. Often this feeling of the givingness is apparent more around the holidays than any other time, and this can be a wonderful thing. Yet, we don’t have to limit our experience for we could make every day a kind of giving holiday. The confusion lies in the idea that we must give “things.” For often with the giving of things, there are strings attached, and these strings destroy joy. However when we give freely, without conditions, reservations, recriminations, or attachment, we become the greatest recipients of our gifts because that kind of giving is accompanied by feelings of great joy. Here is a story of a man who owned a flooring store. We shall call him Joe. Joe was very fortunate for he had experienced a great year and much abundance and he felt it in his heart to give from his abundance. Joe was aware of a single mom with three children that lived in his area. It appeared that she was struggling. So Joe went to the bank and got five one hundred dollar bills and put them in an envelope with her name on it. Then that night he went to her house tiptoed to the front door and rang the doorbell. When he heard footsteps approaching the door he quickly placed the envelope in clear sight and disappeared behind a bush. The woman answered the door and spotted the envelope with her name on it and as she opened it she let out a loud Wow!!! And Thank You!!!! into the night air. Joe stayed behind the bush as he wished to remain anonymous, but his heart was bursting with joy. He was so excited he felt like he was going to burst. Months later when he told me the story, he was still beaming with excitement, joy and gratitude? What was Joe grateful for you ask? In his attitude of givingness, Joe received the greatest gift – joy! And whenever he thinks of that night, his joy is reignited. Giving from the heart is the key to happiness. We have many opportunities to give our gifts – talent, enthusiasm, kindness, encouragement, wisdom. The fact is that givingness fills you. May you enjoy this holiday season. Jean Walters is the author of Set Yourself Free: Live the Life YOU were meant to Live! and Be Outrageous: Do the Impossible: Others have and you can too! Both are available on Amazon.com Also: Dreams and the Symbology of Life by Jean Walters-Lucy a workbook for learning how to interpret your dreams is available on Amazon.com Jean's website: http://www.spiritualtransformation.com