Conscious Giving and Receiving
Jackson Hole, Wyo.-There is an art to giving and receiving and a psychology behind it. Often we feel guilty asking, even though we’re wanting. At other times, gifts are purchased and given without much thought or reason as a means to fulfill an obligation.
But when we give and receive with thoughtful consideration, it connects us to each other. As we offer ourselves fully and truly – our services, our wealth, our time, our kindness – then we are giving purely from our hearts. And the recipient feels a welling up of gratitude for it. Giving consciously opens our hearts, as we share ourselves with others putting in motion a cycle of giving and receiving with grace and gratefulness.
There is a delicate balance to keep the cycle flowing, though. For many, receiving is the hard part. If it were easy, we would accept our gifts more graciously. If we can learn to receive deeply and freely, then we learn what it means to be given to. And receiving becomes nourishing and as fulfilling as giving.
This holiday season we can enrich one another by giving consciously and receiving gratefully. Here are several ways to begin:
Make a Difference
Here in Jackson, it is not obvious that fellow residents are affected by poverty, domestic violence and mental illness, nor that many children and elderly have special needs, but many are our friends and neighbors. You can give to one of Jackson’s human services organizations by making a donation or by signing up for one of the volunteer opportunities at www.makeadifferencejh.org.
Give a Gift of Hope
Through Heifer International’s Living Gift Market, you can give a gift of hope and self-reliance to struggling families in the U.S. and around the world. Heifer offers a sustainable approach to ending hunger and poverty – one family, one animal at a time – by beginning a chain of life that continues for generations.
Heifer project partners enjoy the dignity of passing on the gift of livestock and education to another family in need. As communities become self-reliant for food and income, benefits spread for years to come, securing a future with generations of people who have hope, health and dignity.
Call Lisa Vogelheim at 307-690-3172 through Dec. 18 to purchase gifts.
Feel Good Gifts
The experts at ShopSmart, the shopping magazine published by Consumer Reports, compiled a list of more than ten Web sites that offer gifts that help save resources, reduce poverty, and support artists and crafters here and abroad. The online shops follow fair-trade principles, which means they pay fair wages and ensure good working conditions for the artisans and farmers who create products in developing nations.
The presents showcased are heartwarming, less than $50 and are categorized as fair trade gifts, green gifts, charitable gifts and handmade gifts. And most of the sites can deliver your gifts by Christmas if you order as late as Dec. 17. Find a list of all the sites at
www.shopsmartmag.org under the link to the article “Feel Good Gifts.”
The Gift of Self
Getting quiet, spending time with friends and playing fun games with children are simple ways to give without spending money. Spending quality time with others is the ultimate gift – the gift of self.
Whatever you choose to give and however you receive, put your heart and soul into it and your holiday season will be blessed. PJH
