a gift for a child

Spiritual resource to share: our gifts


This just in .....

barbie horse with a pink saddle joyce

Ok, (writes her mom) so Joyce typed the above in, BUT if you would like to be her 'pink' heroine she is the perfect age for dressup stuff. She has not had a good boa since the last one blew up. She just had a light up tiara fatality on the back yard swing set, and would be forever greatful to her favorite Aunt Kim for a box of girlie whatever. .... Anything else? Yes, she pretends most of the day, and fairies and princesses are on the top of the list. (Right after dog and horse)

This was in response to our family's annual gift exchange. I am fortunate enough to have enough nieces that I (coming from a heavily male-oriented family) can get my girl fix in on a regular basis. I get to choose pink things, and musical things and romantic movies and girls' athletic wear, and share books, favorite charities, innovations and woodland adventures with the best of them.

Successful gift giving all depends on what each girls' gifts are and where they are in their lives. That makes sense.

But little did I know that when we first got the first inspiration that a child was on the way, what gifts a child would bring to our lives. Little did I know the depth of love that is felt, the frustration, the surprise, that comes with the package of parenting.

Each child comes to us complete with an inherent mission, a cluster of spiritual qualities uniquely expressing their infinite Father-Mother God. We have the awesome job of seeing these qualities bloom perenially. Through sleepers and night time feedings, to ice skates and fairies, to car keys and college, each child's purpose blossoms and grows.

And I think, do we know just how important our gifts are to them? Our gifts of effort and earnestness, of love, experience and time provide their nourishing soil. We, as parents, are there to remind them that they are known, that they have a purpose and that they are loved.

So in this happy exchange of gift-giving, the deeper current of being known for who you are and who you will be moves forward and we celebrate it! That's the best gift for a child!









To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

the happy thing about doing good

Spiritual resource to share: your time

 

 

So what's the big happy thing about doing good?

• You realize that God does indeed have infinite resources to bless mankind.
• You find yourself in another's good.
• You see the nature of grief transform into the nurturing opening nature of goodness. 
• You understand that giving and receiving are one. 
• Time flies when you are doing good things. 
• The love that we have for one another - for those who have passed and for those with us now - always leads to more love. We can never lose that.

And besides that, "Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it."

    

And I can prove it.

 

 Last week, my son and I drove across the state to a friend's house to help her clean out her lower level.

 

This is a very dear friend and a special situation as her lower level had become the recipient of the many pictures, slides and memorobilia of her parents both of whom passed on in the last three years. At least twice a day, she walked through her lower level to get to work, reminding her of the need to organize, discard, shelf and repair those things that held such good memories. It was just hard to do on many levels.

 

"Can we help?" I asked. And soon, Gabe and I packed up and were up and out the door.

 

Once we arrived, we set a plan in place and while our friend was at work, we got to work! We were surprised at how quickly we were able to get the placed cleared out! Photos were stored in airtight containers, other memorabilia were boxed and labeled, new shelves were put up and stocked, a couple trips were made to the Goodwill and soon, the unobstructed windows were pouring in light, letting us see a beautiful view of the harbour. A final sweep and wash down of all counters and shelves and we had a whole new space of possibilities!

 

I loved the look on our friend's face when she came in to her house! Happy, surprised, grateful.....and we felt the same way! Immediately, we were talking possibilities of what to do with that sunny open space! How quickly was something that seemed so heavy turned to lightness!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

Christmas presence

Spiritual resource to share: true giving

I received an email today. In it, the writer talked about his recent trip to the Middle East where he saw many of the Holy Land hot spots. What struck him was that above every spot where some sacred activity was reported to have happened, some type of institution was built. It was even harder for him to imagine the original event given the buildings and all their attempts to institutionalize those sacred moments. And he asked himself - how much institutionalization, traditions, and history have tried to bury the living Christ? How much have I let it be buried? These are probing and necessary questions, especially pertinent now during the Christmas season where commercialism and overscheduling are so prevalent.

I keep a running list of "whatsoever groups." These are groups that are doing some life-transforming things, and I like to increase their exposure on my site - even as modest as it is!

The "whatsoever group" idea came from a quote from the Bible which actually came from a letter written by Paul to a small but growing church: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

Today I got another post on my facebook about a group that works to provide clean water worldwide. It is put in a context that has a life-transforming message for us all. It is my gift to you: an opportunity to "think on these things" and to share your thoughts about the presence of Christmas in your life.




For more info, check out http://www.adventconspiracy.org/


This Christmas season, may you give generously, live deeply and have many moments of peace, stillness and satisfaction! Merry Christmas!


To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

The heart grows rich in giving....

Spiritual resource to share: giving

So now my favorite show to watch on the 'net is Oprah's Big Give. Have any of you seen it? Basically, Oprah and friends of Oprah give money to a selected group of people who compete against one another to give this money away in the most creative way. Combining the popularity of reality tv shows and the interest in seeing people get eliminated every week, she taps into the fundamental satisfaction of giving unselfishly. And not only that, but the competitive element sharpens the focus on giving as creatively and as exponentially as you can.

What a hoot! Those team members are most successful when they are able to get others who have been dumbfounded on receiving cash and gifts from a perfect stranger, to go and give of themselves to others. A Pay It Forward kind of act.

It is catching. The responses from the team members, once they have done their deeds, are great! They are exhilarated and happy, happy, happy. It's kind of like starting a movement. The attraction and satisfaction of being unselfish is catching on!

It makes me think......

We are all rich: in spirit, in time, in stories to share, in experience, in hidden talents like writing, singing, speaking Finnish, and maybe in things like money, clothes, toys, etc. How can we give even more creatively and in a way that builds momentum for others to give? And how can we do it in a deeply satisfying way? How can we do this so that it makes us laugh for the joy of it all?

Here are some inspiring "giving" ideas from two of my favorite books:


Giving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us.

Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it.

II Cor 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

The rich in spirit help the poor in one grand brotherhood, all having the same Principle, or Father; and blessed is that man who seeth his brother's need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another's good.

Your thoughts??







To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.