The gift of giving

Two brothers worked together on the family farm. One was married and had a large family. The other was single.

At the day's end, the brothers shared everything equally, produce and profit.

Then one day the single brother said to himself, "It's not right that we should share equally the produce and the profit. I'm alone and my needs are simple."

So each night he took a sack of grain from his bin and crept across the field between their houses, dumping it into his brother's bin.

Meanwhile, the married brother said to himself, "Its not right that we should share the produce and the profit equally. After all, I'm married and I have my wife and my children to look after me in years to come. My brother has no one, and no one to take care of his future."

So each nite, he took a sack of grain and dumped it into his single brother's bin.

Both men were puzzled for years because their supply of grain never dwindled.

Then one dark nite the two brothers bumped into each other. Slowly it dawned on them what was happening. They dropped their sacks and embraced one another.

A Christmas time story

LITTLE PICCOLA
Celia Thaxter


In the sunny land of France there lived many years ago a sweet little maid named Piccola.


Her father had died when she was a baby, and her mother was very poor and had to work hard all day in the fields for a few sous.


Little Piccola had no dolls and toys, and she was often hungry and cold, but she was never sad nor lonely.


What if there were no children for her to play with! What if she did not have fine clothes and beautiful toys! In summer there were always the birds in the forest, and the flowers in the fields and meadows, -- the birds sang so sweetly, and the flowers were so bright and pretty!


In the winter when the ground was covered with snow, Piccola helped her mother, and knit long stockings of blue wool.


The snow-birds had to be fed with crumbs, if she could find any, and then, there was Christmas Day.


But one year her mother was ill and could not earn any money. Piccola worked hard all the day long, and sold the stockings which she knit, even when her own little bare feet were blue with the cold.


As Christmas Day drew near she said to her mother, "I wonder what the good Saint Nicholas will bring me this year. I cannot hang my stocking in the fireplace, but I shall put my wooden shoe on the hearth for him. He will not forget me, I am sure."


"Do not think of it this year, my dear child," replied her mother. "We must be glad if we have bread enough to eat."


But Piccola could not believe that the good saint would forget her. On Christmas Eve she put her little wooden patten on the hearth before the fire, and went to sleep to dream of Saint Nicholas.


As the poor mother looked at the little shoe, she thought how unhappy her dear child would be to find it empty in the morning, and wished that she had something, even if it were only a tiny cake, for a Christmas gift. There was nothing in the house but a few sous, and these must be saved to buy bread.


When the morning dawned Piccola awoke and ran to her shoe.


Saint Nicholas had come in the night. He had not forgotten the little child who had thought of him with such faith.


See what he had brought her. It lay in the wooden patten, looking up at her with its two bright eyes, and chirping contentedly as she stroked its soft feathers.


A little swallow, cold and hungry, had flown into the chimney and down to the room, and had crept into the shoe for warmth.


Piccola danced for joy, and clasped the shivering swallow to her breast.


She ran to her mother's bedside. "Look, look!" she cried. "A Christmas gift, a gift from the good Saint Nicholas!" And she danced again in her little bare feet.


Then she fed and warmed the bird, and cared for it tenderly all winter long; teaching it to take crumbs from her hand and her lips, and to sit on her shoulder while she was working.


In the spring she opened the window for it to fly away, but it lived in the woods near by all summer, and came often in the early morning to sing its sweetest songs at her door.




People identify the grace of God in different ways. In this instance, Piccola imagined a Saint Nicholas, as she had been undoubtedly taught to believe by elders.

But what attracted me to this story is that Piccola did not feel poor. Her love and selfless affection made her rich in the things that matter most. When she found a struggling bird in her shoe of expectancy Christmas morning, she did not complain or wish for another gift. She jumped on the opportunity to love the needy one and nurse it back to health. Both were blessed.

Have you ever received a gift that caused you to grumble or silently complain? Perhaps, if we all had the spirit of Piccola, it wouldn't matter what we found or didn't find under the tree Christmas morning. It's all about the love we feel and show.


The spirit of Christmas is not so much in what we get, but in what we give.


Christ is born. Christ is here. The gift of love from above has been given. Are we ready and willing to share it with others unconditionally?

Building for others

THE BRIDGE BUILDER


An old man, going a lone highway,
Came at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim-
That sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned, when he reached the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.


"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,
"You are wasting strength in building here.

Your journey will end with the ending day;

You never again must pass this way.
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?"

The builder lifted his old gray head.
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."

~ WILL ALLEN DROMGOOLE




Jesus Christ was the ultimate bridge builder...and we've all benefited since.

What bridges are you building today that others can walk over tomorrow?
 

Caring for others

The world is made a much happier place by those who take time to care for others. They take time to care, not because they have to, because they're paid to, or feel obligated to, but because they want to. They genuinely care about the welfare and well being of their neighbor, and want to make a positive difference. And they are willing to sacrifice time and personal pursuits in order to bless their neighbors.

Jake's World posted a touching blog titled, "Writing for students," that contains a video link to a story from the Today Show. This video chronicles a teacher who takes substantial time out of his life to encourage his students. Be sure to watch the 4 minute video.

Who are you helping today?

I have this cute paperweight that was given to me as a gift with a picture of one little girl pushing another up a steep slope. The quote on the side reads,
It's a useful reminder that we never suffer to help another out in need. Our generous giving and sharing benefits us too and takes us to a higher place.

"When you help someone up a hill, you get that much closer yourself."  ~ Anonymous

Receive in the giving

“There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life—happiness, freedom, and
peace of mind—are always attained by giving them to someone
else.”

~ Peyton C. March

Christian Science is expressive

There is often a difference between how Christian Science is practiced and what Christian Science teaches. One of the differences, I’ve noticed, is a tendency of many students to keep their Christian Science to themselves, as if it’s a secret kind of thing they don’t want their neighbors to know about.
I’ve been guilty of this in the past, and maybe even today at times if I feel overly intimidated by others who may react violently to my freely sharing what I believe. But it’s an evil that needs to be overcome in order for the student to experience the full blessings of Christian Science in their lives.

Christian Science is not an intellectual reasoning one harbors in consciousness like a banker holds money in his vault. Christian Science is Love lived expansively, broadly and prolifically.

It’s impossible to keep Christian Science to oneself and live it. It just doesn't work that way.

Students, who think they can keep it to themselves and fully live it, are not living it. Their experience with it will be meager and paltry. Somewhere along the line, it might even feel like it isn’t working anymore.

Look at how Jesus commanded his disciples to live Christian Science. He commanded them to go out into the world and preach the gospel. Preaching and evangelism was a requirement to follow him. Why? It was because the laws of God have to be lived, not just talked about. And one lives them by touching other people’s lives with truth and love.

Christian Science is not passive, stagnant, dormant, hermit-type living. Christian Science is the living, moving, breathing, pulsating presence of Love causing good things to happen wherever it is active. An active student of this Science manifests these qualities in everyday life. It is not a lonely experience. It is not a “sit in a cave and keep to oneself form of lifestyle.”

Christian Science, lived, is an instant cure for loneliness, isolation, and depression. It is a bright light that attracts attention and says, “I have something special to help you with.” And seekers of healing see that light, are attracted to it, and come, asking for help and they respond to the blessings that the spiritual light they see has to give.

I love the full-time practice of Christian Science because it keeps me out of myself. It keeps me focused on a power bigger than me and engaged with work that blesses others.

I can think of a few times over the years when I temporarily felt low or ill, and a call for prayerful help came in. No sooner did I start praying for the well being of another, that my own despair or illness fled, instantly. And the lesson has been learned, I find my own in another’s good. This is Christian Science. It’s all about living love for the benefit of others. It’s not about living for oneself. It is unselfed love in action.

I hope you enjoy expressing the truths of Christian Science today for the benefit of everyone around you!

“The rich in spirit help the poor in one grand brotherhood, all having the same Principle, or Father; and blessed is that man who seeth his brother's need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another's good.” Mary Baker Eddy

Selfless acts of love

I’m always moved by stories of incredibly selfless people who put the life and well being of others above their own. If the world was filled with people like Irena Sendler, whose story is below, there would be no wars and violence to protect others from.

Sent in by a reader…

There recently was the death of a 98-year-old lady named Irena Sendler.

During WW II, Irena got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto as a plumbing/sewer specialist.

She had an ulterior motive.

She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews (being German).

Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried, and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack for larger kids.

She had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers wanted nothing to do with the dog, and the barking covered noise of the kids/infants.

During her time and course of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants.

She was caught, and the Nazis broke both her legs and arms and beat her severely.

Irena kept a record of the names of all the children she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard.

After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it, and reunited the family. Most had been gassed.

The kids she helped were placed into foster family homes or adopted.

Last year Irena was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Live unselfishly

"It is all right your saying you do not need other people, but there are a lot of people who need you."

~ Sherwood Anderson

Shooting in Illinois response

Just received the below inspiration from a deep-thinking reader in response to my recent blog, “Shooting in Illinois.” It will reach your heart…

Evan,

Last week, I read your blog about the tragic shootings at Northern Illinois University in which you talked about such acts as "extreme selfishness." Like you, I've been troubled by such random and thoughtless acts. This past weekend, I was at Virginia Tech to talk with a number of engineering students. The ways that they've reached out to each other and their care for others is almost palpable on the campus. Here's something I wrote about the experience.

Steve


Giving unselfishly

Saturday morning on the campus of Virginia Tech was an overcast 35 degrees with a chilling wind blowing across the drill field toward Burris Hall. Less than a year earlier, the field was the scene of a tribute by thousands of Hokie students, faculty and administrators as they remembered their 32 friends who, a few days earlier, had been killed by a gunman, one of their own, in the most tragic college shooting ever.

But this Saturday the drill field was empty. A colleague and I parked our Ford Explorer nearby, several blocks from the place we’d soon be speaking to engineering students but only a few feet from the semi-circular memorial honoring VT’s slain students and faculty.

As we walked down the gently sloping path to memorial, I couldn’t help but reflect on how honorably the 32 Hokie Stones, as they’re called, marked the lives of such diverse people. And, if there’s a blessing in the tragedy, it may be that Hokie students and alums are more steadfast in their love for their school and what it stands for—a place to “invent the future” as they call it.

Sadly, only two weeks earlier, another tragic college shooting took place when a gunman killed five Huskie students on the campus of Northern Illinois University. Trying to make sense of the shootings at Virginia Tech and NIU is difficult, if not impossible. A friend of mine, writing in a blog a few days ago, called it “an extreme form of selfishness.” An apt description, that’s for sure.

But as my colleague and I stood at the memorial, numbed by the moment and the cold wind, I told her of my friend’s description of selfishness. She paused for a moment and said, “You know, it’s also an extreme form of loneliness. The killers in these cases were all alone with no friends to listen or talk to. Or at least that’s what they thought.”

It made me wonder if selfishness, when taken to an extreme, is really an inability to see how we fit together in a sort of inter-dependent universe, one in which no one stands alone? Could it be that selfishness is nothing more than a trick that obscures how we are really all part of a great big “whole?”

I realized that the healing of selfishness occurs when we “operationalize Love” by both knowing that God is Love and by living a life of loving one another through inclusion and compassion. Such living would not only help change loneliness into inclusiveness but selfishness into concern for others.

Our talk later that afternoon to 25 engineering students would be about preparing themselves for the world of work by choosing to make a difference in the world. We used an idea from the movie Pay It Forward in which a social studies teacher challenges his students to come up with an idea to change the world. One of them decides he will do something good for three other people. They cannot return the favor to him. but must “pay it forward” to three others who, in turn, must pay it forward to three more. (If you do the math, the number of people who are touched grows very quickly!)

As we talked about this idea with the engineering students they laughed about the fact that the size of the act wasn’t important, it was the act itself. One person told me later, “Good doesn’t come in sizes—good just is.”
The idea of paying it forward can make a huge difference in the lives of people who are lonely and hurting. Even the act of selflessly listening to others can break the spell of loneliness. Such acts of love help clear the dark of loneliness with the light of inclusion; they extinguish the trick of selfishness with the truth of unity and oneness.

We may never know the results of paying good forward as it’s almost impossible to know if doing so prevents bad acts—however minor or extreme—from happening. That’s the wonder of it. We may never know how we’ve made a difference. We just need to remember that we have.

How unselflish are you willing to be?

The below picture came through my inbox today and I couldn't help but chuckle.

I don't know which creature asserted their position first. Whether the cat curled up in the dog basket and the dog decided to let the cat take her rest, or whether the dog decided first to take the smaller basket and let kitty see what a bigger bed would feel like?

I like the dog's attitude. Evidently, he has decided to make the best of the situation, let kitty rest peacefully, and be grateful for the perch still available to him.

I think of times in life when we may feel put upon, believing someone else has deprived us of something we figure is rightfully ours. But we learn through spiritual growth and increased humility that the most important position we ever occupy is not a place in the world, but a mental place at-one with divine Love, where we know we're loved and cared for by God through eternal spiritual ways and means no matter what comes and goes on the human scene.

Knowing our all-in-all resides in Spirit, we can live like Jesus Christ who gave everything he had humanly in order to help his neighbor. This is the ultimate unselfishness, but also the ultimate freedom, which leads away from sense to Soul.

Ever felt used?

Have you ever felt used by a boss, a co-worker, or by a family member?

A reader sent in this thought-provoking quote:

“We need to love people and use things—not love things and use people.”

What bridge are you building today?

The Bridge Builder
By Allen Dromgoole

An old man, going a lone highway,
Came at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide.

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,
“You are wasting strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way;
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide—
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?”

The builder lifted his old gray head:
“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,
“There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him.”

Helping others has its reward

John Macartney was skiing down Crystal Mountain in Washington State when he saw two legs sticking out of the snow near a tree off to the side of the ski run.

He knew that when a skier falls into a tree well, the air pocket collapses, trapping the unsuspecting person who can lose consciousness in as little as two minutes. John had to act quickly.

Pulling and digging furiously, after five minutes he finally dislodged the body. He was stunned. It was his wife who had skied down the slope ahead of him.

Jesus Christ gave us the story of the Good Samaritan to remind us of the importance of helping our neighbor.

Macartney’s heroic efforts to save a trapped skier gives new meaning to the Scriptural command, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” By helping another in distress, Macartney helped himself. His unselfed love saved his own wife, preserved his family, and eliminated potential guilt and remorse for not being alert when a crisis called for immediate action.