The Thoughts of Giving And The Giving of Thoughts
A Story of Possibility….
Many years ago, back in Perth, I held a Christmas party for all the clients and programme attendees I had known over the years. Filling a large hotel room with lots of people and much joy, we talked, meditated, laughed, shared some ideas and then closed off with a simple exercise. I want to share that with you here. You will see why when you read on.
Each party guest was asked to bring with them a gift. It did not matter what it was, but it had to be wrapped. At the close of the evening people paired off and exchanged gifts. They were told not to share what it was and also not to open the gift. One further instruction ensued.
They had 48 hours from when they left the venue to go out, find someone they did not know, a stranger that is, and give the gift to them. They were to expect nothing at all in return.
Dutifully they all departed. Some looked a little perplexed and others engaged the opportunity with glee. A few days later, I met with one of the couples who had been present at the event. Their story is the basis of this short note to you.
They were an older couple, and one well-loved and respected in many circles in West Australia’s community. Personally I loved them dearly, since they had embarked upon personal development at a later stage of life and had given everything they had to the journey. Here’s what they fed back to me.
Sam and Laurie
Sam and Laurie had gone down to the local mall to do some Christmas shopping. As they were leaving and entering the car park, Laurie noted that it would be a good time to give away their gifts from the party. As she said this to Sam, she spotted a typical true blue Aussie bloke walking out of the pub, wearing his work shorts and T-shirt, and carrying a six pack under his arm.
Laurie ran up to him and called out, “Excuse me. Excuse me!” He looked around in surprise as he was about to get in his truck. “This is for you,” said Laurie.” “For me?” he responded. “Yes, it’s a Christmas gift and I want you to take it. Merry Christmas!” Sam told me the the look on this chosen one’s face was a picture to behold.
“Are you nuts lady!” He had replied. “I don’t even know you and you are trying to give me something. Leave me alone.” Laurie persisted, adding, “No please, just take this.” Then things really became interesting.
“What is it?” he asked. “I have no idea.” she answered. That really set his face-alarm going. “You want me to take a present from you, someone I don’t even know, and you don’t even know what the hell it is?”
“Yes! Just take it and have a great Christmas.” Sam said it must have been either the look of pleading on Laurie’s face or the fact that this fella just wanted to get the hell out of there and away, that made him give up fighting. Drinking his beer in freedom, he eventually took the present and hightailed out of the car park at a rapid rate of knots, calling out to Laurie as he did so: “You are bloody crazy lady. But Merry Christmas to you too.”
Laurie was satisfied that her job was done, despite not knowing what gift she had given. The ball now was in Sam’s hands. Laurie put the challenge to him, “What will you do?”
Sam went back into the mall and scouted around, looking for someone to whom he felt he wanted to give his gift. Once he found his chosen recipient, he approached the man and asked him if he would accept a gift from him, for Christmas. With what Laurie described as “a beautiful smile on his face”, the man simply looked at Sam and said, “Well thank you very much. I would love to.” He took the gift and Sam then asked him to open it, explaining as he did so that he did not know what was inside and would really like to know. Not really displaying any surprise, the man opened the package and pulled out the gift.
The Gift
It was a scroll, which many of you have no doubt over the years seen or heard or read. It is titled “Footprints”. Here are the words so that you can see the story in context.
One Night a man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand;
one belonged to him and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it.
“Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you you’d walk with me all the way, but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.”
The Lord replied, “My precious, precious child, I love you and would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”
Upon realising what the gift represented, both Sam and the man to whom he had gifted the scroll broke into tears. “This is the most beautiful gift I can ever recall receiving,” said the man. “It has made my day and my Christmas.”. He and Sam hugged, exchanged telephone numbers and parted. Both felt in some way very special and touched by something very deep. There was a profound element in this exchange, and one that would bring tears to many eyes.
The man who received the gift was in a wheel chair. He had lost both of his legs in the Vietnam war and was simply visiting the mall on an excursion put in place by a care giver. He indicated to Sam that at the time he received the gift he was silently bemoaning the fate that had come upon him, indicating that he felt alone in the world and cut off from one and all – including his relationship to God. The gift activated a well of emotion and an outpouring of love between two very special souls.
It’s The Thought That Counts!
It matters not that the time of celebration was Christmas. It could have been Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanza, Eid ul fitr or any other celebratory day. In fact, if we were true to our nature, we would treat every day as a day in which we seek to give and receive.
Let’s take a minute to see what Sam and Laurie’s “gift-giving adventures” reveal to us. In reflecting on Laurie’s experience, I ask you two notice two things. One being the reluctance to accept a gift from a stranger and two being an even greater reluctance to accept something that we know nothing off. So, for those who have read or have The Power Before Thought, today, and the upcoming days as we reach the New Year, are good times to reflect on the principles within that book.
Remember that you are “giving away”, 24/7, with your thoughts. Consciously sometimes and unconsciously most of the time. If you are getting results in your life that are not in keeping with your deep inner desires, just take a few moments to review exactly what thoughts you are projecting and radiating into creation. Sometimes the “bloke with the truck” shows himself to you quite openly. Other times, you might notice a subtle disengagement from people that you dearly wish to share with, and/or goals you wish to achieve. Take stock of your thoughts as we approach the end of the year and set up a pathway to really practice with the principles of The Power Before Thought. You will activate a magnificent turn-around with just a little effort. It is well worth it.
Now let’s look at Sam’s experience. Sam’s story reveals to us how, when we yearn for something so deep and powerfully in our hearts, the Universe will move everything to accommodate that need. However the real issue is, again, the degree to which you have allowed yourself to know who you are, and to become vulnerable enough to tread the waters of naked fear and look inside to find that which is missing. Once you do this, the results affirm your common humanity and you receive in direct accord with your asking.
Let The New Year Start With Each Heartbeat
So, 2014 has been a wild year. A brief review shows that humanity is still playing games with life. Wars continue, new viruses are presenting themselves, random acts of violence (many involving children) have increased, hunger still exists…and added to all this are the challenges of Mother Earth and all species that co-exist with us. Yet, deep down, something more beautiful is unfolding.
We are collectively passing through a birth canal. The Dream that is coming to an end (that involves all the aforementioned experiences) is giving way to a new way of being. More and more people are becoming conscious of who they are. The more this happens, the rear guard actions of the dying order cannot and will not be able to keep pace. There is a critical turning point at which the age in which we are living starts to give way to a new way of being. It is a new and higher Dream, although a Dream none-the-less. New energy sources, alternate and complimentary medicines, recognition that peace is within rather than something we fight for; and movements that are seeking to link up across race, creed and culture are all on the rise. It is time to step outside the beliefs that have limited our collective existence and to claim our birthright.
Let 2015 be a year of Love. Let that Love be a time of great healing, and let it be a time of wonderment – once again – at the freedom of the human experience. More than anything – make every day a time of giving and receiving, for in so doing you bring harmony to your own existence and, you uplift the lives of all with whom you share.
Start Your day With Love
Fill Your day With Love
Spend Your day With Love
End Your day With Love
That Is The Way To God (SSSB)