As this unprecedented year comes to a close, I want to wish each one of you health and happiness. May your holidays be filled with love and laughter, and may you find many reasons to be grateful.
Today, my reflections will focus on gifts, since most of us are busy thinking of the gifts we want to give and those we want to receive. I hope that we will have, and be able to give, gifts that are meaningful and truly fulfilling.
Have a happy holiday season.
The Gifts of Love, Security, Abundance, and Peace
Happy holidays to you and your family
I have a magnet on my refrigerator that reads:
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. (Helen Keller)
Just this week, I highlighted this in a book:
". . . by unifying the aspects of your mind, body, and spirit, you are absolutely impacting your physical, emotional, and mental bodies. . . Fertilize instead the soil of your consciousness."*
As I reflect on this holiday season, I realize that many of us will face the loss of loved ones, our jobs, or our homes. Yet social pressures will push us to follow the same rules of gift-giving regardless of our changed circumstances. Many of us may feel sad or guilty that we won't have the financial means to give the gifts that we assume are expected from us this year.
For many, giving gifts means to give something material, something that costs a certain amount of money, when, in fact, what we really need cannot be satisfied through material things. What we are truly looking for are spiritual gifts: Love, security, abundance, and peace. Money cannot buy you these "things" because spiritual gifts are states of being and are governed by different laws:
The more you give these gifts, the more you experience them in your own life.
To obtain them, one must stop pursuing them.
Their seeds start from within, in invisible, quiet, unheralded moments.
Its price is living an inspired life.
To keep it, one must discern between truth and lies, and live with integrity.
What can we do to share these spiritual gifts?
When faced with loss, we can reach out to those who are suffering through their own losses and give them the gift of empathy and shared community. We can make a difficult call or write a supportive letter.
We can give the gift of living by example, as our children or friends look to us for guidance on how to face challenges. We can show them that gratitude is not necessarily tied to financial affluence, but is a choice of the heart.
We can create a routine of nurturing ourselves through meditation, prayer, and positive affirmations. In this way, we're able to continue an inner state of peace and share it with others.
In the midst of darkness, allow your light to shine and be seen. One way you can do this is by sharing words of encouragement, hope, and faith.
These are just some ideas of gifts that we can bring to our friends and family that create true meaning and fulfillment. They are the most beautiful things that Helen Keller referred to that can only be felt by the heart.
Have a wonderful holiday season!
*From the chapter Magic and Miracles on pg 92 of Talking to Extraterrestrials by Lisette Larkins © 2002.