What is a gift?

Today was a difficult giving day for me. At night, as always, I sat at my desk to do homework, and realized I hadn't given a gift today. That got me thinking. What should be considered a gift? There is a poem that I have hanging by my bed and I read it each morning before I get up. It inspires me to not get bogged down in the drama of day to day life which can be depressing but rather to look on the bright side. It's called the Definition of Success by Harry Fosdick and here it is,

To love often and love much
To gain respect of intelligent people and the affection of little children.
To earn the approval of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends.
To appreciate beauty always.
To search for the best in others.
To leave the world a better place than you found it, whether by nurturing a child or a garden patch, or working to redeem a social condition.
To have played with enthusiasm, lauged with exuberance, and sung with exultation;
To know that the world is a little better and that even a single life breathes easier because you have lived...
Well, that is to have succeeded.


While reading it today, I realized that if I can do just one of the things it mentions, then I have successfully given a gift- although not a tangible one- to someone without ever knowing it. Keep this in mind if, like me, you struggle to find a meaningful gift to give. By simply loving your neighbor, smiling at someone you don't know, or picking up a piece of trash that isn't yours, you are giving the simplest and often most meaningful gift.

If all else fails, be like Mary and give of what you have, yourself.
Hope this helps because it made me feel a lot better!
God Bless and love you all,

Kelsey