The Joy of Giving

   

Give yourself entirely to those around you. Be generous with your blessings. A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.  Steve Maraboli

Don’t you just love stories? Stories have power and they help us use more of our minds, imagination, and creativity, helping us to discover new things about ourselves and about the world we live in.

Today I want to share with you a really beautiful story I heard a few years back about the joy and beauty of giving and the happiness that comes from giving without expecting anything in return. Often times we feel like we can’t really give anything to anyone since we don’t have enough for ourselves and we repeat this story to ourselves for so long and eventually, we make it part of our reality, but is that really true? Is there really nothing you have to offer to the world? I doubt that.

Aren’t there talents and skills you have, isn’t there plenty of LOVE in your heart to share it with those you care about; isn’t there a smile on your lips to offer to those who presently think they’ve got none?

    No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another. ~Charles Dickens

There are so many things we can all offer to those around us and believe it or not many of these things are free. If you have material things you would like to give away to those who have less than you do, give it and if you feel like you don’t have any material possession to offer, give them your time, your knowledge, your love and support and many of the things you have that cost you nothing but they value a lot.

Joy of Giving

A woman who was traveling alone in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream.

The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, the woman opened her bag to share her food.

The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him.

She did so without hesitation.

The traveler left, rejoicing in his great fortune.

He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime.

But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the woman.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said,

“I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.”

The woman smiled, “The joy of giving!” Author: Unknown

If you’ve enjoyed this story feel free to share it with those you love. Remember,  “The joy of giving!”