Day 16: The season of giving

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I do not know what is it about the holidays that put people into two major categories:  give me, give me, GIVE ME and “what do you need I will give”, and it has been baffling my mind since I became an adult. I know you are saying, “Tricia, people do that all the time”.  I know, but it is really noticeable around the holidays.

For instance, the “Give me, give me, give me” person is the person who does not consider

what it takes for another person to get a (material item) for them.  They think that the person is a bank.  This is what children, and often times teens, do when they see a shiny new toy or electronic gadget.  What the person (usually a parent) often does, is appease that person, so they will not constantly ask for that item.  The receiving person has not learned how to accept the word “no”, “Wait”, or “do you REALLY need it”.  When the receiving person does not get it when they want it, they cried and throw tantrums.   This is one of the personalities of a child, and children (as well as some adults) need to learn the concept of “you can’t always get what you want”.

On the other hand, the “Giving” person is just that.  This is the person who will give the shirt off their backs to help out, make sure a homeless person is safe and make sure that the universe is aligned with everything that is good and right with the world.  Their motto is “I give so you can have”, and it does not stop and start with the holidays.  That motto carries some weight.  It means “I give, so you can have food on the table”.  Not the gourmet stuff, but basic essentials, such as bread, meat, vegetables, milk for the kids, but a decent meal.  “I give, so you can have shelter”.  Not a fancy downtown hotel, but a place with a roof over your head with running water, and if it cold, a place to warm your body.  “I give, so you can have clothes on your backs”.  Not some $300 Gucci sweater, but a pair of pants, a coat, a top, and diapers for the baby, and shoe on your feet, and a warm blanket to wrap a child in.  These are the things that a giving person does, and they are not looking for anything back from that person.  A giving person gives from the heart.

Now there are some people who are Hybrids.  They are people, who masquerade as a giving person, but they want something in return.  They want a payback.  There are ways to be a hybrid without expecting anything in return for you.   For instance, when you give an opportunity for a person to get a job, say to that person, “What I want from you in return, is for you to do well, and make a better life for yourself.”  You are asking for something in return, but it benefits that person who received the job offer.  There is a string attached, but that string is to wish that person would do better than the life they are leading right that moment.  Saying anything less would look like that you want some type of money, and that is not right.

So in the season of giving, keep these things in mind:

·         This season is very hard on the jobless and the homeless.  They are often parents who want to give the world to their children, but cannot.  Be patient.

·         Volunteer in the food pantries, shelters, and other places of need.  Do not volunteer just to make yourself look good, but you never know who life you may touch along the way.

·         Giving of your time is better than money, especially if you have none to give.

·         Do not stop after the holiday season.  There are 365 days of the year, and there is a need during all 365 of 2016 and beyond.  You may even find your life’s calling.