A gift that changed my perspective on life

.
Last year, I started a tradition of GIVING – through acts of service or giving gifts of love to others on my birthday.

I was inspired by a 30 year old memory of my late grand uncle (he was my mother’s uncle) who had taught me an important lesson about giving when I was 6 years old.

It was my brother’s birthday and my grand uncle had attended his party. When he arrived, grand uncle handed me a nicely wrapped present. I was confused and  thought he had mistaken my brother’s birthday for mine, so I told politely declined.

Sensing my resistance, grand uncle tried to convince me that the present was indeed meant for me. He told me that my brother couldn’t have this gift because it was a dress. After hearing that, I accepted the gift with big smiles and thanked him. His thoughtfulness made me feel really special. It meant a great deal to me to receive a gift that was specially for me even when I was not celebrating my birthday and it wasn’t Christmas.

It has been 25 years since my grand uncle passed on, but the memory of his generosity and acts of love remain fresh in my heart. What I learned from him all those years ago, is that we do not need to wait for someone’s birthday to tell them that they are remembered, appreciated, cared for or that they truly matter.

For my birthday last year, I spent my time doing some volunteerism work. This year, I wanted to show appreciation to people who had in one way or another made a positive difference in my life by giving them little, humble gifts from the heart.

My Godma is a special person, who has played a significant role in helping me in my spiritual growth. When I gave her a small gift on my birthday, it was a token of my sincere appreciation for all that she’d done for me. She was delighted to received it but asked me what prompted me to give gifts on my birthday?

I shared with her the story of my grand uncle and why I think it’s more important to GIVE than to receive. I told her how important I feel it is to practice an attitude of GIVING.

I may not be academically inclined and I’m certainly not wealthy, but I can still put a smile on people’s faces and make them feel that they matter. Although I am a person of few words, I can still show that I care through acts of kindness or affection (instead of expressive words).

Things you do for yourself are forgotten when you’re gone, but things you do for others always live on. – Regina 😀