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Because It Makes Me Happy Too

By now we have had a few of the spoils of this life. We have bought the car we wanted , we purchased the house of our dreams, we have given our children a number of their heart’s desires. These things made us happy, they gave us a degree of joy and made us feel accomplished and fulfilled.

Times have changed so much though. I recall the classic occasions for giving, birthdays, anniversaries, and Christmas. The running around, going from store to store, searching for just the right gift. Then it had to be wrapped and you had to have a card to express just how you felt about this person on this/their special day. Enter gift cards and gift bags, there are even specialized cards that boast they express “just how you feel”. AMAZING! The transformation that has taken place during our lives.

I did something nice for someone a couple of weeks ago, I did it because I wanted to.  My kind gesture, my attempt to demonstrate I did not like something I perceived as incorrect was rejected, because the person did not see things the way I did.  To be honest, I was taken aback. I tried to explain myself, but I do not really believe that I did a sufficient job. Although the gift was accepted, the fact that there was an air of confusion and unrest took away from what was actually being said with this gesture. I have been told by more than one individual “you think about things no one else does”. I had a mixed reaction to that statement; for I understood what was being said to me, but I wondered/questioned if what I was saying/doing was truly being understood.

Giving whether it is a gift, your time, your effort should be an unselfish act. There should be no expectation of reward from the receiver, but does that include gratitude and/or acceptance?  Think about why you are giving and not just who you are giving to. The act may seem simple and one-sided, but it is not.  Those gift cards and gift bags made things simpler, but did they really make things better. The easy way out isn’t always the way to go.

As we journey into this next phase we have to keep our “feelers” out there open to be receptive of things we may have bypassed even a decade ago. While we may be encompassed with what we have acquired and where we are in life, we have to stop and realize there is something more for us and we better try to pursue the intangibles.

Remember your baby’s reaction when you came home after a hard day at work, your child’s face on Christmas morning even before the first package was opened, the way you felt when your son/daughter walked across the stage to receive their high school diploma, the return of a son from the military, a daughter walking down the aisle to meet her groom. Your heart does something, that during the course of a normal day, it will not.

However, believe me when I tell you that the same special warm feeling will present itself to you if you do give of yourself for no particular reason. The act itself is paled in comparison to what you will get back.  Finally, do not let a poor reception deter you from giving again, for ultimately your intentions are clear to the one who counts. “God loves a cheerful giver”.