Giving

A poor widow put in two small copper coins worth a penny.

From a story by Jesus                  

You can give a flip or give a damn. Give your word or give an opinion.   You can give up, give back, give in, give way or give over. You can give a recital, give a cold, give offense, give approval, give an excuse, give a spanking, give and take or give up the ghost. You can give your time, give your money, give your thoughts, give your strength or give your attention. You can even give your life. Or, you can sit back and say, "What gives?"                

Giving - especially giving of the heart - has a way of turning things around. For the giver and the receiver, something magical happens when a gift is given. Maybe it's an exchange of energy, maybe it's a refocusing from the self to the gift. Or maybe, it's simply an unspoken way of reminding ourselves that giving and receiving is the way life works. The way our hearts and lungs work. A reminder that we are each and all - plants, animals, humans, oceans, air and rivers - utterly interdependent.                

There's something about giving that disperses anxiety, breaks up clots of fretfulness and crumbles walls of despair or loneliness. Giving might well be the antidote to many of the struggles that send us to therapists or to our knees in prayer. Maybe it really is more blessed to give than receive. And maybe one of generosity's blessings is reminding us how incredibly blessed we are.   

Howard is tremendously excited for his LadyLove, Joyell Smith, who is giving a presentation this week at the Geologic Society of America Conference in Baltimore.  He is also eager for the release later this month of a new book about Jubilee! Community which he helped author, titled, "The Main Thing."  And, then, next week Howard will head to Atlanta to visit his granddaughter, Ellie.  It's a joyful time for Howard.