The Sweetest Gift You Can Ever Give is the Gift of Yourself

One simple gift is the gift of listening. Listening is a silent form of flattery. Maybe it is listening to a small child who wants to show you a treasure they find absolutely fascinating. When my mother was in the nursing home, I learned how very much the residents treasured having someone really listen to them. Most people listen waiting for a gap in the conversation so they can speak or listen for just enough information to present their point of view. How many times do we really focus and listen. Are you ever guilty of stopping listening to your spouse because you have been together so long you think you already know what they are going to say?
Giving of our time and focused attention is one of the sweetest gifts we can ever give.
Another gift we can all give is writing a simple 2 line note. Walt Whitman was born in the early 1800’s and he was struggling to get anyone to pay any attention to his poetry. One day a little 2 line note arrived. It simply said, “I am not blind to the wit and wisdom of the Leaves of Grass. I greet you At the beginning of a great career.” Signed Ralph Waldo Emerson. I’ll bet Whitman kept that note. We all keep those special notes. Maybe we keep them in a scrapbook or drawer or even a box but we keep them. Leaves of Grass was published in 1855 when Whitman was 36 years old. 36 in 1855 was much later in life than our 36 in 2009. I greet you at the beginning of a great career.
Who is it in your life right now who deserves that little 2 line note from you? Write down the names of 3 people who deserve a note of encouragement, inspiration, or appreciation from you?
Giving of yourself to help others feel good is a gift of sharing Gods love. We are the children of a loving God. He is our father and he wants the best for us.
He sat in my soul and guided me as a single mother, many times with not enough money to feed the 3 of us. He gave me wisdom to share with those two adorable little boys which I had absolutely no way of knowing. My own childhood had been the total opposite of Ward and June Cleaver. How many of you remember the show Leave it to Beaver? I gave those boys love and encouragement and self confidence that I had never experienced. God did it for me. There is no other answer. They are wonderful men, great daddy’s and loving husbands. With Gods’ help the chain of abuse was broken. I am so deeply grateful.
It is said that the vibration in the room raised simply by having Mother Theresa walk into the room. Serotonin is the chemical in the brain which is the “feel good” chemical. It is a known fact that the serotonin increases in the brain of a person doing a kind deed for another. Not only that but the serotonin increases in the brain of the person receiving the act of kindness and it is even a known fact that it increases in the brains of people watching an act of kindness.
Do something good for someone today with the absolute knowing that they could never repay you. Spread Gods love by doing kind acts for others just for the joy of doing a kind act.
Giving is all about sharing the gifts God has given you.
We all have gifts. Whether it is art as in making cards or pictures, or cooking or music or reading or kind acts to other people. We all have gifts to share. The most cherished gift is a gift of the heart. A gift of yourself.
When I was a broke student secretary in college I worked for Dr. Reilly. Doc was brilliant beyond belief. He carried his Phi Beta Kappa key on his rosary every day. Docs’ honors filled several pages of a vita. With that many accolades, he could have been arrogant and egotistical but he was not. He was humble. When I went above and beyond my hours to do some special task for him, he knew I could not be paid. His hobby was growing long stem red roses. I knew after each of those tasks I would come in the next morning to a long stem red rose on my desk. He had his special way of saying thank you. I treasured those roses. A gift of appreciation and kindness.
There are so many ways we can give.
I truly believe God brought me here for a reason. I had every argument in the world why I could not make the move from Steamboat. He gently but firmly said “Castle Rock” for a year. Despite every reason why it should not have been possible, I am here in exactly the size house I wanted, the exact location, the exact price and the exact timing.
God opened to me a love for speaking and writing which I had never known or experienced. Apparently He was waiting for me to be ready to receive and share this gift. What gift is God waiting to open for you? What gift do you have to share? He gave each and every one of us gifts. It is like the talents in the Bible. He expects us to develop and multiply those gifts.
I am so blessed and so grateful for my life.
You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks for the abundance in your life and you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law. The more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.
Give of yourself, give of your gifts and be grateful to God for all of your blessings.

Always Be Giving - Acknowledgement

We give of our time by listening and helping people learn how to solve problems. By giving of ourselves in focused attention, we are demonstrating that they are valuable to us. Knowing that you are valuable to others and valuable as a person is extremely important. None of us live in a vacuum. We all appreciate being valued.

Mark Twain said,” To get the full value of a joy, you must have somebody to divide it with.” Just knowing that someone else appreciates the little things we do for them makes a world of difference to you and to them.

One of the problems I see so frequently in marriages and in the workplace is that people do not feel valued. People will always do more for recognition than they will for money.

When I was a college student secretary, I had the privilege of working for Doc Reilly. Doc, as we affectionately addressed him, was brilliant. He carried his Phi Beta Kappa key on his rosary every day. His accolades filled a several page vita. Doc’s vocabulary was so extensive that I would be forced to sit with Webster’s unabridged dictionary to transcribe his dictation. To totally understate it, Doc was brilliant and highly accomplished. A man of those extensive credentials could have been ego-centered and arrogant; however, he was very modest. If it is possible to be humble with an ego, then Doc was precisely that. I treasured my time listening to him and working with/for him.

One of the things which set Doc apart from everyone else was the way he valued people.

Since I was a student secretary, I was not allowed to receive any overtime pay. If Doc requested any special assignment which required more than my allotted time, he demonstrated his appreciation in his own unique way. One of Docs private hobbies was growing long stem red roses. I always knew that when I had gone above and beyond that I would come in the next morning and find a long stem red rose on my desk. Neither he nor I ever spoke of it, but we both knew how very much it meant to me. You see, he was forbidden from showing any partiality to a student. I respected him so much that I would never have compromised our professional relationship.

I worked for Doc for two and a half full years. He became a treasured mentor, friend, professor and business associate. I learned so much from him in ever so many ways.

When he learned that my parents were not attending my college graduation, he gave me a graduation party with all of my favorite professors and my friends. He always went above and beyond to demonstrate professionalism, class and appreciation.

Doc knew how to value people. He passed away a few years ago but his legacy lives on in my heart and the hearts of so many that he touched.