I came across a book the other day, THE ART OF LIVING, and it caught my attention immediately. I am posting this portion from the book in the hopes that it will touch you as it touched me.
The Art of Giving
In gratitude for God’s gift of life to use we should share that gift with others. The art of giving encompasses many areas. It is an outgoing, overflowing way of life.
Basically, we give what we are. “The thoughts you think’ Wrote Maeterlinck, “will irradiate you as though you are a transparent vase.”
These gifts of things are never as precious as the gifts of thought.
Emerson said it well: “Rings and jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only true gift is a portion of thyself.”
We give of ourselves when we give gifts of the heart: love, kindness, joy, understanding, sympathy, tolerance, forgiveness…
We give of ourselves when we give gifts of the mind: ideas, dreams, purposes, ideals, principles, plans, inventions, projects, poetry…
We give of ourselves when we give gifts of the spirit: prayer, vision, beauty, aspiration, peace, faith…
We give of ourselves when we give gifts of the time; when we are minute builders of more abundant living for others…
We give of ourselves when we give gifts of words: encouragement, inspiration, guidance…
We should give of ourselves with the radiant warmth of sunshine and the glow of the open fire.
We should give our community a good man.
We should give our home a devoted husband and father.
We should give our country a loyal citizen.
We should give our world a lift toward “that one far-off divine event toward which all creation moves.”
The finest gift a man can give to his age and time is the gift of a constructive and creative life.
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