Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas
When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed. Maya Angelou
Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much. I don’t know who said this but it seems like something any of us might say at times during our lives. Tonight is the Toastmasters Christmas celebration we are each supposed to bring food or drinks. No one needs to provide everything – just one little contribution and we will have more than we can eat and drink.
Most of life is like this. No one does everything but all the contributions create something. We are expecting a big storm and if the weather is bad we will meet on zoom, it won’t be as nice as meeting in person but we will still laugh, joke, and spend time together.
If we want to get more out of life we need to give more. It seems to me the happiest people are the givers, and the more they give, the more they get out of life. I’m watching the building of Toy Mountain on the news. Some of the contributors are driving in from afar to make their contribution of toys and money to make someone’s Christmas better. It is a real joy I see on their faces. They are happy to contribute, and happy they are in a position to contribute.
We must give more in order to get more. It is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest. Orison Marden
One of my goals is to become more generous. On Tuesday, the Horticultural Society had its Christmas party. I know a few people, but I haven’t been attending regularly, and a lot of the people I don’t know, so I hang back – standing on the periphery – but I could be involved and then I would know everyone. I tell myself I don’t have time, but is this true? I thought I would be there early enough to be one of the greeters but I was one of the last to arrive. We can do just a little less than our best like I did by arriving what ended up to be late to be a greeter, or we can do a little more than we think we can by making more of a contribution, and enjoying it more. It’s our choice and the more we give the more we get.
If we are going to stay in touch with friends we need to make the effort. It is easy to not bother to pick up the phone and say hi, to invite people out to dinner, or to host a get-together, but it also isn’t that hard to do, and the rewards we reap by having a network of friends are priceless.
Life rewards the doers, and there is always something to do if we are willing. There are things to do in our families, our communities, our country, and our world. It is up to us what choices we will make, but those choices build our lives. We may look at someone else’s choices and wonder how they are so lucky, but is it really luck? Often there is a lot of unseen work, dedication, and discipline that goes into the lives of those we envy.
In life, we will be both givers and receivers, and we can’t have one without the other. If we accept gratefully and give cheerfully we can be grateful for the contributions we can make to others and that they can make to us.
I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver. Maya Angelou
Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have. Jim Rohn
Love beautifies the giver and elevates the receiver. Sivananda
Thank you for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you will come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.
