Thursday, February 21, 2013

Why I Give...

I give because it brings me joy and freedom.


As an adult, I started out giving in a consistent way because that is what was modeled for me and  I felt like it was the right thing to do.  


The irony is that the more I give the richer I feel.


When I began making My Gigi Dolls, I was at first surprised that I loved making them.  I never would have expected that.  Truly. 


But, the real beauty came when I began giving them away...to a little girl with Down's Syndrome...to military kids....to hospitalized children.  


When I give a doll away, I am sending out a little bit of myself - my creativity, my time and my passion - with each doll with no strings attached.  


I love the feeling of sending a doll that has been purchased, too, but there is something a little magical in sending something out there to someone you've never met, in hopes that it will bring them a bit of joy.


In all honestly, I'm not an especially selfless person.  Remember I said giving brings me joy and freedom?  Yep.  I get something out of it.  


I explained the joy I feel in giving, but what about freedom?


Well, the more I let go of things - not because I should, but because I want to - the freer and more satisfied I am with my life.  The times I give when it is difficult for me are the times I am the most blessed.


What prompted this post is that my family and I are in the process of downsizing from an 1800 sq ft, 4 bedroom, 2 car garage home to a 1472 sq ft, 3 bedroom, carport home.  


And, I couldn't be happier.  


But, I have a LOT to get rid of!  At least a 2 car garage and full bedroom worth.  


I started out selling things.  But, yesterday, I was given an unexpected gift of $110.  I gave each of my kids $10 and when they asked me why, I told them that I wanted to bless them because I had been blessed.  It was easy for me to part with $30 I hadn't been expecting.  


This morning, I thought:  I'm going to give away all of the things I've been planning to sell.  Because I've been blessed; because giving brings me joy and freedom; because I have what I need today; I will give with no strings attached.  


And, I promise you, after I've given away what I no longer have room for, I will feel richer.

This is a more serious (and far less PRETTY) post than usual.  And, harder to write, ya know?  But, I felt like I needed to put it out there, whether anyone reads it or not.


Since you are reading it, I'd love to know:  How has being generous impacted you?



6 comments:

  1. We recently bought an older home with all (ALL) of the previous owners belongings. We spent two weeks cleaning it out. Everyone kept saying why don't you have a garage sale, sell it on ebay, etc. etc.. We choose to donate it to the previous owners church, they have a large garage sale/auction to raise money for missions. It felt satisfying to know that what Ms. Emma had loved during her life was going to help support the missions that she loved! Satisfying!

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  2. Love this post Melissa! The joy of giving far exceeds the joy of receiving. I love how you give your dolls away to children in need. What a blessing for the child and for you! Thank you for your beautiful post!

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