Return This Gift, Please!
Monday, December 9, 2013
INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
"There are two ways to look at life. One is as though nothing is a miracle; the other is as though everything is."
~ Albert Einstein
RETURN THIS GIFT, PLEASE!
One major holiday down, at least one more to go, and then it’s the New Year. At this time of year, it’s very easy to get caught up in expectations and to lose sight of reality. Some are trying to squeeze an entire year of visits with friends and family into a one-month time frame, while others may be experiencing that certain melancholy that attends the circumstance of not having friends or family with whom to share the joy of the season.
Why do we feel so overwhelmed during these last months of the year? Partly, it’s the impression that society has commercialized what should otherwise be an opportunity to gather in love, fellowship and gratitude. Regardless of the warmly glowing lights and the gifts wrapped in glittering paper and bows, the magic is absent.
Skeptics of the season find that “nothing is a miracle,” because they feel that the significance and majesty of our holidays have been sucked dry by high prices and higher expectations. However, there are those lucky folks out there who have found that everything is a miracle, not just at the holidays, but also throughout life.
It’s time to put on your “miracle goggles” by shunning the exchange of piles of presents and avoiding the bright and shiny department stores. Those things simply confirm our worst suspicions, and rob us of the joy we’re supposed to feel and share with others.
This year, your gifts to friends and family could take the form of donations to charitable organizations, given in their name. If you give it some thought, you’d recognize that everyone you know has some cause for which they feel strongly.
Remember that Philanthropy always comes in the right size and color, and never needs dusting or ironing. If you’re lucky, this gift just might be returned!