Monday, April 23, 2012

Greatest Gift

Give.

It's such a simple word with a simple meaning; yet, somehow it's extremely hard to fully grasp and execute these days. In other words: easy to talk the talk, but difficult to walk the walk.

The holidays are always described as, "The Season of Giving."  Personally, I'd like to think that it's not only good, but necessary to give 365 days a year.

According to ABC News, there are 17 million hungry children in the U.S., and that number is rising. Thousands of charitable organizations are striving to stay afloat each day around the world. Millions of Americans.........wait. Hold the phone. I'm not here to preach about the money you should give, the people you should help, or the world problems you should solve.

I'm here to simply spark a light bulb over your head,  and hopefully put things into better perspective for you.

When it comes to giving, it's not all about money. It's not about what you have and don't have. It's not about what you can afford and can't afford.  It's not about the deserving and undeserving. It's not about the richer or the poorer. It's not about the hungry and the hungrier. It's not about giving the better gift at Christmas.

It's about selflessness: putting others before yourself.

I can't begin to count how many times other people have sacrificed for my greater good.  To them, I wasn't anyone special. I wasn't a saint. I wasn't mistreated. I wasn't disabled or hurt. I wasn't the nicest guy they'd ever met..........I was just someone who could use a little help, and they helped without judgement.

Like I said earlier, it's not all about giving your money. Give your time. Give your wisdom. Give your effort. Give your hand. Give your friendship. Give your appreciation. Give your gratitude. Give your talents. Give your heart. Give your love. Give your respect. Give your help, grace, treasures, hope, thoughts, prayers, motivation, spirit, hugs, kisses, generosity, and everything in between.

Selfless giving is the greatest gift. Give more, and you will receive. The people that gave to me changed my life forever, and for that I'm more appreciative than words can describe.

Change someone's life.
Give.