Giving

CelineFlower

Christmas

For me this is a time to immerse myself in the warmth of my family and friends, share the light we all carry inside of us. It is a time to share feasts and indulge ourselves in the bounty of our lives.

It is also an excersize in giving.

I learned this when my kids were growing up, as i opened up the handmade tree ornament , I watched as my childs eyes lit up, i could see the weeks of anticipation, the creativity and the love , all invested into this gift. As they got older we would give them a budget and take them to the dollar store, to buy the family (about 12 ppl) gifts. 

Each child had their own way of choosing a gift, one would think about it for days ahead of time making lists , the other would wait till the day we went shopping and took their time looking up and down the aisle for the "perfect" gift. My eldest would often buy items that would help her create gifts. 

Then came the wrapping, over the years there have been different "joke" wrappings duct tape, box in box etc , Christmas morning, the kids were always the ones, handing out the gifts, reading the to's and the from's out loud. As we opened gifts, often the giver would have a "story" behind the gift and would hover over the person opening it to get their chance to tell the story.

In the last few years as the kids got older (and we got older too lol ) giving remained a big part of our holidays, i could feel the warmth and excitement in my children as they continued to share their light, in each gift.

Their youthful innocence , taught me much about giving

Giving:
To make a present of: We gave her flowers for her birthday.
To deliver in exchange or recompense; pay: gave five dollars for the book.
To administer: give him some cough medicine.
To accord or tender to another: Give him your confidence.
To convey or offer for conveyance: Give him my best wishes.
To endure the loss of; sacrifice: gave her son to the war; gave her life for her country.
To furnish or contribute: gave their time to help others.

There are many definitions and many ways to give. 

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
Sir Winston Churchill 

You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. – Kahlil Gibran

It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it. – Albert Einstein

He who gives when he is asked has waited too long. – Lucius Annaeus Seneca


Giving has little to do with malls, wrapping paper or price tags. Some of us have lost the skill of giving because we have been convinced that it is about money . The social traps , the shopping stress, the credit card bills... when did that become giving? When did giving become getting?Malls filled with desperate people to get that one item. Crowds bullying each other to get the best deals...

We are so blessed in this part of the world and have so much to give. I feel very blessed myself to be here this year and have found myself looking at this holiday with a renewed perspective. I am very grateful for this time of year..this opportunity to enrich my world, by giving.

From my heart to yours
Merry Christmas!

doggylady

Celine, that is beautiful. Thank you so much for the reminders. And I wish you and your family an overwhelmingly happy Christmas and all the holiday season!

CelineFlower

thank you lady