Joy of Giving
- From: "giftsonline06" <giftsonline06@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 20 Jun 2006 00:35:33 -0700
Joy of Giving
More than a year and a half has passed since the deaths of Mother
Teresa and Princess Diana. Yet, their lives remain clear in our memory.
And for good reason, for there is much we can learn from them. For
example, their deaths remind us how a person is remembered.
How do we remember the dead?
Not, "How did they die?"
But, "How did they live?"
Not, "What did they gain?"
But, "What did they give?"
We can learn from them and experience the joy of giving. To do so, we
need not be as heroic. There is no need to travel to some distant land
or search out the less fortunate. All we need do is awaken, to become
aware of those around us. Every encounter is an opportunity to give.
Our siblings, spouse, children, friends, relatives, co-workers, boss,
customers, and all those we meet will gratefully accept our gifts. The
gifts I'm referring to are spiritual in nature and, therefore, do not
have any costs.
Sometimes we forget how much we have to offer. For example, though
tired of waiting in line at the bank, we can offer the stressed-out
bank teller a warm smile and the gifts of patience and understanding.
We have the power to uplift her spirit and make her day! At home or in
the office, our words of encouragement can plant the seeds of
confidence in the minds of our children and co-workers.
The greatest gift we have to offer is that of time, for time is the
stuff life is made of. As our only nonrenewable resource, it is
precious. What greater way of expressing love, than by devoting time to
those we care about and those in need? Walt Whitman, the poet,
expressed it this way, "Behold, I do not give lectures or a little
charity. When I give, I give myself." When we give to our friends, we
draw them closer. When we give to our enemies, we change them into
friends.
The deaths of Mother Teresa and Princess Diana remind us of our own
mortality. It's almost as if they were whispering, "The time to give is
now." Or, as Marcus Aurelius wrote in the second century, "Live not as
though there were a thousand years ahead of you. Fate is at your elbow;
make yourself good while life and power are still yours."
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