When it comes to giving there should be no weight, no measurement, no explanations, no rhyme or reason. Certainly, if you give, the thought should be equal to the value of the most priceless gems in the world. In a perfect world no doubt; sadly the world we know and live in is any and everything but perfect. So often I see and hear the whispers of others as they talk, joke, and complain about a gift they may or may not have received. Remarks such as “I wonder where they got this from, a gumball machine”? It is so sad that people cannot see past their materialistic cravings or their superficial delusions. So many times I walk into a convenience store and see pennies strewn on the ground. It is likely due to those that dropped them do not feel their value is worthy of the effort it takes to retrieve them. Maybe because they didn’t know they had dropped them, or maybe they just don’t care. Nonetheless, they are walked over by many even those that walk around asking for handouts tend to overlook these seemingly worthless copper coins. I pick them up. I don’t care who should see me or not, nor do I care what they may think. I pick them up and place them in the boxes, cards, or jars usually found at a register asking for donations for various charities. It may only be a few pennies but they add up and one is much better than none. When those coins are added up they don’t ask well wonder who gave this penny? They are thankful for every cent. Some feel if they can’t give something very expensive they had rather not give anything at all. It is this mindset that spills into others having them believe that there is a value set as a standard on a gift. It is not, no such value exists unless it resides in your own mind and heart. I remember one year one of my daughters could only afford to get me a card for Christmas. In that card, she wrote how much I mean to her and how important my place in her life was. She told me how much it meant to have someone she knew she could trust and depend on and that loved her unconditionally. She closed by saying I love you dad, Merry Christmas. Those words could have been written on a plain piece of paper and still been one of the most cherished gifts I have ever gotten. We have heard often that it is not the gift; it is the thought that counts. Indeed it is. If you are putting a monetary value on any gift given to you, you are missing completely what giving is all about. Sadly it seems that it is those that have everything that cares about nothing, and those that have nothing that cares about everything. A gift cannot be a gift until it is given from a selfless heart and received by a gracious one.
Simply my thoughts
Dean Butler
