Richard Cor de Lyon edited this post 11 months ago. Read the previous text »
Giving and receiving - they go hand in hand
Richard Cor de Lyon changed the tags on this post: they were "" 11 months ago.
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A wonderful post Richard, thank you and a happy Christmas to you and your family. :)
Good post , you know what I get more pleasure from giving, I love to see the look on my kids faces when they open their presents, I think most are the same. I often wish I was really wealthy just for the fact that Id love to go to a homeless shelter and drop anonymous cheques to people, have you seen the programme “The secret Millionaire ” ? Ohh Id love to do that, and look what a lesson the Rich learn from it, they really don’t understand what the poor people go through, in a lot of cases its the first time they’ve seen poverty,it really shows them how the other half live, great programme :-)
I gave today. It is a long story (and boring) but the look on that childs face was worth every penny I spent. It made me a happy woman today. :)
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thank you for your replys. I think most of us love to give, and what we received from that (the by-product of giving if-you-will) is priceless. The reward of giving is great. There are even financial guru’s out there today that teach if you want to become rich, you need to be able to give of your wealth… that it’s impossible to become rich unless you do. I believe that to be true. How do you think you’d feel if you were on the other end though. Let’s say a stroke of bad luck ended you up in a homeless shelter (or maybe you are there now I don’t know). What if you had to beg for a meal? None of us is immune to that possibility and many are closer to it then we might think. How would you feel about someone coming into the shelter walked up to only you, and gave you $50. Someone did that to me yesterday. Completely unsolicited, they came to my door (thankfully I’m not in a shelter yet), and gave me $50. They know I’m in a tight spot right now, and I know them, honestly they are not much better off than I am… how do you think you would feel? How would ou respond? Would their gift embarrass you? Some people, I think, would not even be able to accept it.
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hmmm I think that may be a key to this idea, Business. I think true giving usually comes without expectations of a return. Oh, the thought of karma might be in the back of our minds… but when we give we usually do not expect to get in kind.
There was a young woman that came to speak to the teens I mentor at church. This woman was a remarkable product of the Juvenile system here. Her abuse started around age 7, and she entered the system about age 14, for drugs, theft and prostitution. She is now in her early 20’s and speaking to those teens that will listen. After she spoke to my kids, I went to her and thanked her for her time… and I gave her $20. I nearly had to force her to take the money. I knew that she was not getting paid by the church for her time, and I felt she clearly had something of value to say (it was much more than $20, but that was the best I could do at the time).
I think the point I’m trying to make is that she gave without expectation, and she was not really that good at receiving because of it. There is nothing wrong with receiving… as the flower and the bee teach us, it’s quite natural. The bottom line is that if we cannot receive, then the giving will eventually come to a stop… and that will be the shame.
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which part would you consider selfish… giving with the thought of karma in the back of your mind, or giving without expectation? Either way, I don’t think either is truly selfish.
JJ - mmmm what lovely gifts you received today, and I can tell you received them gratefully too!
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Ahhhhh yes indeed. It took me a long time to learn that lesson but I agree 100%
So far i have not been too much tempted to splurge for gifts but i gave some anyway–only the ones i can afford without hurting my already hurt pocket. lol
Simple things can make people happy. My friends and loved ones appreciate the thoughts and not how much on the cost. I love the feeling, seeing such glow on their faces. They simply amaze me.
Merry Christmas :)
You’ve been reading Deepak Chopra again haven’t you Richard? ;)
Nice post as usual.
And Happy Christmas…
Didn’t get a chance to return the shout!
Hi Richard and Merry Christmas to you and yours.Your girls sure have grown and more beautiful than ever………I have to admit it took me a long time to learn to receive . It began with learning to receive a compliment. i simply didnt believe the nice things people would say , i doubted their sincerity. It was when i got the realization that not all were just pleasantries but some were truly from the heart that it began to sink in and that didnt began until I had quality relationships.So for me it was a process.I always try to put myself in the other persons shoes so it should have been easy for me since i was a giver and a receiver,as we all are but it wasnt and isnt but i will continue to work on it.Although I know I dont ‘owe’ anything in return it still feels like im obligated and that is an uneasy, vulnerable feeling….it may sound like need help in this area but Im fine with it, just thought ide share my thoughts
thank you so much for sharing your thoughts Kim. I understand exactly where you are coming from, and really think many here on this site could understand it as well (at least those of us that have gone through that process you speak of). I know you’re not alone in how you feel :)
A special part of Christmas for me, is when you see the people in the mall that are looking for donations, and you give them your change, or maybe even 5-10 dollars. The look and smile on their face is the most rewarding thing, it touches me inside. Even if they do not have a responce to me, I know deep down that I did something good, and I touched someone in someway or another.
I really enjoyed reading your post, thank you:)
Happy Holidays to you all:)
and Nessa I really enjoyed you input to the post. Your sharing of your story was great… and I agree, it is a wonderful feeling to do something like that no matter how small.
Richard you wonderful wonderful man.
You keep posting these Richardy posts… and I hope you never stop!
You bring so much to this site, and I’m sure I would be right in saying that you would be on lot of the user’s ‘helpers I’d love to meet in real life’ list.
You are certainly on mine.
I look forward to your next Richardy rant of constructivey goodness.
Bless you my friend :)
Thank you so much Dougie, It’s nice to hear the nice words every now and again :)
“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.” - Dr. Suess
Bright blessings ~ Richard
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Richard Cor de Lyon edited this post 10 months, 2 weeks ago. Read the previous text »
Giving and receiving - they go hand in hand
When you soar with the eagles, you tend to have their vision too!
~ Ohhhh you really didn’t have to!~
Today, Christmas, is probably the single most day dedicated to giving. Maybe Valentines Day runs a close second, but on Christmas EVERYONE is giving. It’s on Christmas where I am reminded about the other side of that however; Receiving.
Giving and receiving, they naturally go hand-in-hand. Most of us do not have a problem with giving – to some it’s an obligation and that is unfortunate. Giving is the key to receiving. If you want to learn, then give of your own knowledge (teach). If you want to be a friend, then give of your friendship. If you want to be loved, than give your love. We hear about giving all the time, but what of the receiving?
So many people have a hard time receiving. They feel embarrassed, as if perhaps they were not worth the gift. Or perhaps guilty that they received and someone else did not. Receiving honestly makes a lot of people uncomfortable. I used to be that way. I used to not be able to receive a compliment. This would seem like not quite that big of a problem, but it is common. I would finish performing, and IF I went out with the rest of the cast to greet the audience I would usually hide in the shadows so I did not have to feel embarrassed with all the compliments. I’m actually a pretty good actor, so I would usually get quite a few. Usually I just stayed in the dressing rooms getting back to myself. But there were always the die-hard friends or family that would hang around and I’d still have to deal with it- the dreaded compliment.
One day, someone told me, “Hey – I just wanted to give you a compliment. But if you can’t accept it, whatever”. I had hurt someone because I could not graciously accept their gift to me. That moment changed my life.
The world is full of gifts to you and me. We must be willing AND sincerely glad to receive them. This is where the old saying, “When opportunity knocks …” come from. When the gifts of the universe (some of our own creation) come our way, we must be willing and gracious enough to receive them and we must receive them with a grateful heart.
So, this Christmas while your giving is important, remember also that the receiving is also just as important. As Gibran wrote: “…it is the pleasure of the bee to gather honey of the flower, But it is also the pleasure of the flower to yield its honey to the bee. For to the bee a flower is a fountain of life, and to the flower a bee is a messenger of love, and to both, bee and flower, the giving and the receiving … is a need and an ecstasy. … Be in your pleasures like the flowers and the bees.
Bright blessings ~ Richard
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