I recently heard it said that November is the month of gratitude, to prepare us for the month of December giving.
What a beautiful thought!
Preparing to give.
I’ve known the joy of finding the perfect gift for someone and the fun of watching the person open it, as opposed to the times when the gift is just an item without much significance, given more out of duty than a special love or appreciation.
Could preparing to give not only change the way we give but also our whole experience of giving and receiving? And what better way to prepare to give than by expressing gratitude like we have been this past month of November?
As many of us are returning from the weekend of visiting with family from the Thanksgiving weekend, there may be much good to remember but also challenges and difficult circumstances to have faced. There may be feelings of joy intermingled with feelings of sadness or worry.
Yet, each experience is what adds to the richness of our lives. Are there still things to be grateful for in your experiences of this last week, month, year – hidden blessings to be uncovered and gratitude to be expressed?
What does this have to do with preparing to give?
Perhaps recognizing and expressing that gratitude changes the way in which we give. Perhaps gratitude gives us the ability to give with love, of being open to the meaning behind the gifts we choose or receive.
Don’t gifts hold possibilities? The possibility of reconciliation, of appreciation, of expressing the love we feel for that individual? Then gifts become something meaningful and possibly even life-altering, for the giver and the receiver.
And, of course we are not talking of only physical gifts, but the gifts of thoughtfulness or kindness, a smile or a helping hand.
Whatever the gift is, when a gift is given with love, it does not matter the size or money spent. I’d like to think that maybe what matters is the preparing to give. And what better way to prepare to give than to have a thankful heart.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on what “preparing to give” means to you.
Share in the comments below.
Much love,
