The Joy Of Giving

Day 283

“Give freely to the world these gifts of love and compassion. Do not concern yourself with how much you receive in return, just know in your heart it will be returned.”

– Steve Maraboli

It’s Thanksgiving weekend in Canada.

Thanksgiving was originally celebrated as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. Now, it’s become less about the harvest and more about being grateful for all your blessings, and sharing the holiday with the loved ones you are thankful for.

As I’ve said many times before, when you are grateful for what you have, the Universe gives you more to be grateful for because gratitude is the essence of the spirit of abundance.

Gratitude is the single most important vibration that the universe responds to. When you are grateful for what you have, the universe showers you with more reasons to be grateful.

Gratitude goes hand-in-hand with the Law of Giving and Receiving, which states that the universe operates through constant and dynamic exchange; that giving and receiving are different aspects of the same flow of energy in the universe. In our willingness to give that which we seek, we keep the abundance of the universe circulating in our lives.

The basic idea behind the Law of Giving and Receiving is to consciously participate in the dynamic flow of abundance that is the nature of life itself. Practicing the Law of Giving and Receiving is simple: if you want joy, give joy to others; if you want love, learn to give love; if you want attention and appreciation, learn to give attention and appreciation; if you want wealth, help others prosper.

As I was writing this post, not-so-coincidentally, I came across the perfect heart-warming story of giving. Enjoy.

It was a really hot summer’s day many years ago. I was on my way to pick up two items at the grocery store. In those days, I was a frequent visitor to the supermarket because there never seemed to be enough money for a whole week’s food-shopping at once.

You see, my young wife, after a tragic battle with cancer, had died just a few months earlier. There was no insurance, just many expenses and a mountain of bills. I held a part-time job, which barely generated enough money to feed my two young children. Things were bad, really bad. And so it was that day, with a heavy heart and four dollars in my pocket, I was on my way to the supermarket to purchase a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread. The children were hungry and I had to get them something to eat. As I came to a red traffic light, I noticed on my right a young man, a young woman and a child on the grass next to the road. The blistering noonday sun beat down on them without mercy.

The man held up a cardboard sign which read, ‘Will Work for Food.’ The woman stood next to him. She just stared at the cars that stopped at the red light. The child, probably about two years old, sat on the grass holding a one-armed doll. I noticed all this in the thirty seconds it took for the traffic light to change to green. I wanted so desperately to give them a few dollars, but if I did that, there wouldn’t be enough left to buy the milk and bread. Four dollars will only go so far. As the light changed, I took one last glance at the three of them and sped off feeling both guilty (for not helping them) and sad (because I didn’t have enough money to share with them).

As I kept driving, I couldn’t get the picture of the three of them out of my mind. The sad, haunting eyes of the young man and his family stayed with me for about a mile. I could take it no longer. I felt their pain and had to do something about it. I turned around and drove back to where I had last seen them. I pulled up close to them and handed the man two of my four dollars. There were tears in his eyes as he thanked me. I smiled and drove on to the supermarket. Perhaps both milk and bread would be on sale, I thought. And what if I only got milk alone, or just the bread? Well, it would have to do.

I pulled into the parking lot, still thinking about the whole incident, yet feeling good about what I had done. As I stepped out of the car, my foot slid on something on the pavement. There by my feet was a twenty-dollar bill. I just couldn’t believe it. I looked all around, picked it up with awe, went into the store and purchased not only bread and milk, but several other items I desperately needed.

I never forgot that incident. It reminded me that the universe was strange and mysterious. It confirmed my belief that you could never out give the universe.

I gave away two dollars and got twenty in return. On my way back from the supermarket, I drove by the hungry family and shared five additional dollars with them. This incident is only one of many that have occurred in my life. It seems that the more we give, the more we get. It is, perhaps, one of those universal laws that say, ‘If you want to receive, you must first give.’

– John Harricharan
When You Can Walk on Water, Take the Boat

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!