STUFF, we all have too much. Is your closet overflowing? Your junk drawer chock full? Do you have duplicate appliances and things you'll never use?
Several blogger friends are having give-aways on their websites. I am sure this benefits everyone, as the blog owner increases followers, and the readers get a little excitement and a bonus if they win.
We should all have give aways. Think of how happy we would make others, how connected we'd feel, and the self-satisfaction we'd derive when we actually witness how our generosity touches others. Many of us give to Goodwill and hand cast-offs to family members. That's not what I mean. I remember receiving a bag of nearly new clothes from a cousin. I loved them, but nothing fit me. I felt sad, upset, how unfair! But when I gave the entire bag of clothes away to another girl and I saw how happy it made her, my heart was filled with satisfaction.
Did you know that the Lakota Sioux women also have give aways? The Wopila is a Lakota Sioux tradition. On birthdays, weddings, funerals or special occasions, the woman gives away items that she has spent months collecting just for the event.
Recently I joined eleven other women in celebrating my friend Tammy's fiftieth birthday. We all presented her with gifts. She beamed at the written words and the lovely presents. It strengthens relationships when we give of ourselves. Giving doesn't have to be monetary, or even a concrete gift. The gift of time or the written or spoken word is just as precious.
Today, be generous in thought, and deeds. Go to your closet and find one thing to give to someone else for no particular reason. Don't expect anything in return. But watch how the giving begins to cascade. Blessings to one and all.