I was saddened by the news that Black Friday shopping resulted in a stampede that left one person dead and several injured in a Wal-mart in Valley Stream, NY. Greed and violence seem to go hand-in-hand and are the sources and causes of many a war.
Add to this volatile mixture, a shaky economy that makes people believe in the Scarcity Principle, that there’s not enough to go around, and you begin to have a culture that starts acting like a pack of rabid animals. It becomes each man for himself and a dog-eat-dog world. How can it be that things take on more value than human life?
We are slowly entering into the Age of Aquarius — an age in which we will begin to believe in the Abundance Principle, that there is enough for everyone, and by the Grace of God, we will find a way to better distribute that abundance.
During this New Age, spiritualism will reign supreme and materialism will be on the decline. Gifts of the heart will be truly the treasures of the earth, and material gifts will not be seen as the only way to express your love for another. Gifts of the heart are simple gestures of love that will be greatly valued as time goes by.
Ten Gifts of the Heart You Can Give this Holiday Season
1. Give a spontaneous hug or kiss to someone you love.
2. Extend a helping hand to someone in need without being asked.
3. Take the time to write a love letter and give it to your Soul Mate. This is so much more heartfelt and meaningful than a store bought card. If you’re not good with words, burn a CD with songs that express how you feel.
4. Help your mate with household chores and try to make these tasks fun. This will certainly be a much appreciated gift of the heart.
5. Take the time to arrange some quiet and intimate time with your mate for this is surely a gift greater than anything money can buy.
6. Offer to watch your friends’ children one evening and give those parents an evening alone to reconnect and feel like a couple in love again. Your friends will know you have given them a priceless gift.
7. Help someone with a task that has him/her feeling overwhelmed. Lightening someone’s load is a gift to remember.
8. Volunteer your time and your talents to help those you love, and this will surely be seen as a great gesture of love.
9. Take the time to talk with someone whose heart is breaking, or be there to help someone who is sick or housebound. Know that these are wonderful ways to say, “I love you.”
10. Bake a cake or cook someone a meal and see how these simply things can be fun ways to express your love.
This holiday season, try giving more gifts of the heart. I, personally, am asking my friends, loved ones, and family to not buy me any gifts. I have way too much of everything, and would prefer to spend some time with these people — talking and sharing feelings, a little food, and a good laugh. In lieu of gifts, I would prefer people to donate food or money to a food bank, since there is a shortage of food and many in need this year.
Please let me know any other gifts of the heart you can think of so that we can pass these on.
And please, don’t stress out about the holidays. Enjoy your friends and family and don’t get caught up in a spending frenzy. Just remember to give of yourself, to give from your heart, and to graciously accept the love and joy that will come your way as a result.