29 Gifts...

About a week ago, I started reading a book called 29 Gifts, How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life.  Cami Walker is diagnosed with MS and her spiritual advisor gives her an unusual prescription. 

“Give away 29 gifts in 29 days.  Healing doesn’t happen in a vacuum, but through our interactions with other people.  By giving, you are focusing on what you have to offer others, inviting more abundance into your life.  Giving of any kind is taking positive action that begins the process of change.  It will shift your energy for life” ~ Mbali Creazzo

So the idea is that each day you MINDFULLY give a gift someone.  The purpose here is intent.  Here are some instructions.

1. Begin each day with an affirmation statement such as:
1. Today I give with love
2. Today I give with gratitude
3. Today I give with patience.

2. Your gifts can be anything offered to anyone.  Anything you mindfully (consciously) offer to another person counts.

3. You can give the gifts quietly or make them know.

Watch out for gives that are coming from the following places within yourself because you will likely feel drained when giving from this space:

1. The Bartering Give:  If I give, I am good and I will be rewarded.
2. The Obligated Give:  I have to give because it’s expected of me.
3. The Guilty Give:  If I don’t give I will have bad karma
4. The Begrudging Give:  He’s got new shoes on, he can’t need money that badly.
5. The Resentful Give:  I suppose I better give because it’s Day 15, even though I just spend $300 on new brakes for my car.

I think you get the idea.  You see someone has a need and you try to help fill it.  You can also plan gifts if you wish, such as “Next Friday I’m going to take my son to see that movie he wants to, that will be my gift for today.”  These gifts need not be extravagant, it can be a hug, a few words, lunch with a friend you haven’t seen in a long time.  Just be mindful of the gift, give with the intention of giving, quickly or out loud.

If you’re interesting in learning more you can visit the website at http://www.29gifts.org/.

There are great gifting ideas, forums, a blog, and the story of 29 gifts.  It’s a powerful idea, one that I intend to fully embrace.  Each day I will blog about the day’s gift.  I hope that you will look into it, join me in gifting, as well as read my stories, and share your own. 

Today I give with love, gratitude, patience, abundance, and joy.  I am open to receiving awareness of opportunities of giving and I am open to receiving gifts as well.