Tuesday, December 11, 2012

A gift of the heart . . .




"It's not about how much we give, but about how much love we put into the giving."  - Mother Teresa


Something done from the goodness of one's heart and not in anticipation of receiving something in return . . . that is the true spirit of giving.

This holiday season is not as much about gifting as it is an opportunity to practice generosity and to show each other love. Something that we should simply be practicing in our daily lives, always.

We all find ourselves, this time of year, in search of that perfect gift. But giving, and giving generously has nothing to do with our pocketbook and everything to do with our hearts. It's simply more about the planning and the thought that goes into it, rather than the gift itself. And this is a lesson we can learn from our children.

On Christmas morning of 2007, my daughter handed me a box. A box that she had wrapped and wrapped beautifully and tied with a ribbon, much like I would do with their gifts. There was much anticipation on her face, and I could see it in her eyes, as I carefully unwrapped this gift. As I opened the box, I found the drawing you see in the photo above, of my parrot. The tears streamed down my face . . . you see, my parrot had passed away only weeks before. Secretly, she had gone looking for and found a photo, and without my knowing had drawn this picture and wrapped it and placed it under the tree.

So, if you were to ask me if there is such a thing as a perfect gift, my answer would be yes there is. It's one that comes from the heart and is made with love. And love by itself is free, needs no wrapping, and multiplies when we give it away.

Do you have a special memory of a gift you received from the heart? We would love for you to share it with us in the comments below.





8 comments:

terriporter said...

Love this post, Kim! My favorite gifts, both ones I've received and ones I've given, are the ones that obviously are from the heart. I know the gifts I anticipate giving the most are things I have made especially for the people I'm giving them to. I'm sure that drawing of Mugsy will be a treasure for many years to come.

leigh said...

Those are my favorite kind of gifts! So sweet!

Kim Stevens said...

And if you look closely, you can see a coffee stain that my husband managed to get on it within 5 minutes of opening the box, sigh! haha

Kim Stevens said...

Yep, worth more than gold...and she still does sweet stuff like that at almost 18!

Deanna said...

One year my daughter made me two sweet needlepoint pictures...that had to be one of my favorite gifts because I know she made it with love. Thanks for sharing your sweetest gift!!

Carol said...

It's just amazing how your kids can touch your heart. This is a beautiful story.

Dotti said...

Kim, this is such a sweet and touching story! Your daughter sounds like a wonderful young person ... which isn't a surprise ... she has a good role model.

Years ago when money was tight, I made Christmas gifts either on my sewing machine or counted cross stitch creations. My mother still uses what I've given to her. When somebody gives me something handmade, it truly touches my heart. Now I give my best photos on canvas when I want to give a special gift.

heyjudephotography said...

So so true Kim. You had me all teary eyed when I read this. It really is all about the love that goes into the gift. Love your parrot drawing - your daughter sounds like a wonderful young lady.

Post a Comment

Thank you for sharing part of your day with us. If for any reason you are unable to leave a comment here on this post, please leave your comment on our Facebook page or in our Flickr discussion group. We love hearing from you!

 
© Focusing On Life