Giving from the heart is something my Husband and I have desired to teach our children since we delivered our first-born child. Neither of us grew up in affluent homes and while we have our own financial struggles, we are in a better situation now than we were when we were children.
With that thought, in mind, we have sought a home in which giving did not mean running to the store and purchasing the latest and greatest toys, gadget, gizmos: you get the idea.
While I would like to say that we came up with all of these ways to teach our children, we found that they have taught us the most about giving.
Give Time
When I was pregnant with our first-born child, I went on bed rest at 28 weeks. Up until then, I had always been very self-sufficient and refused to allow anyone to really do anything to help me. I had conquered the military and the corporate world all on my own (or so I thought) and did not ‘want’ to ‘need’ help. Yet, one of our dear friends taught us the beauty of time. Through giving their time in scheduling meals, cleaning our home and just being there for us, we learned the beauty of giving time.
Give Home Made
After the birth of our first-born child, I returned to work. One of the treasures I carried with me was a blanket a friend had made for him. It was our ‘car blanket’. Each time I looked at it, I smiled. I would carry it in my ‘pump’ case and it would stay with me through the day. That blanket encouraged me to learn how to crochet. During lunch, a friend would grant me the gift of time and taught me a simple way to crochet. And I began making baby blankets for others. They are not fancy, but they are a simple and loving way to give my time and something home-made to another family. That gift of time and teaching me how to create with my hands is now being passed on to my children – including my boys. They are all currently learning how to crochet and I smile knowing that while I turned my back on it as a child (when I would sit for hours watching my Grandmother) God gave me a friend – at a time when my heart was right to teach me this beautiful way of passing on something to my children and other children.
Give Used
The best gift I have received from my children is the gift of knowledge that the best gifts are not always new. This gift was completely unexpected and one that I shall treasure for my entire life. The best part of the gift is that it is not something they gave me. Last year, we had a friend who had to have unexpected surgery. This friend is a little bit older than our youngest. After their surgery, my children could not wait to go to their home and say hello. The day we had scheduled to go, my children were running around like crazy creating, drawing and wrapping. I was curious to see what they were doing and was a little scared (honestly) and very delighted. They were finding their most favorite treasures. These treasures were things they had collected: bottle caps, rocks, army men, marbles….just little things they enjoyed. When their friend opened the gift, you could see the joy in their eyes. Since then, this has become a heart joy between our families. The children love celebrating special occasions and any memorable moment by sharing a gift by giving a ‘favorite’ of their own.
Give Nature
Being a Mommy affords me the opportunity to receive the most beautiful flowers ever. I love it when my children come running in with the first flowers of the season or even beautiful weeds flowers that sprout up throughout the year. The looks in their eyes and the smiles on their faces, match the glow in my heart. It’s a piece of Heaven in their hands and a gift from the Father. They see the beauty around them and they desire to share it with others. Me, I’m the beneficiary most of the time!
Give from the heart
When I became a Mom, I received many gifts. The most beautiful gifts have been those that are from the heart. They are not necessarily wrapped in beautiful packages with shiny bows. Very rarely are they brand new and most often they have a few sticky finger prints on them. The gifts from the heart, those are the ones this heart treasures…
What have you learned about giving from your children?
Ticia says
I agree these are all wonderful ways to give, and I TRY to do each of these. Presents don’t always have to be bought.