Gifts

When I say gift – what do you immediately think about? Gifts can be such a pleasant surprise in life – something given by someone to another without expectation for reciprocal action. 

When I was younger, my whole idea of gifts was super exciting – especially around Christmas or birthdays. What kid doesn’t want gifts – physical objects to play with and enjoy. There was so much energy tied up in the physical, tangible gifts. There was so much potential for joy, excitement and disappointment as well. I enjoyed both giving and receiving presents. I loved getting something that I wanted and I also loved watching someone’s face light up getting something they truly desired. I reveled in that sensation.

Things began shifting as I continued to grow and evolve my ways of thinking and living. Gifts became more intangible - the time spent with family and friends – sharing conversations and laughs about life, relationships and living.  The connection was joyful. Now, don’t get me wrong – I still feel like a kid at Christmas sometimes, awaiting with anticipation and excitement, the opening of a gift! 

Unravelling the layers over the years, I believe we all have our unique set of gems to cultivate. They are the qualities we live, the things we do selflessly and how we are in this life with other people. These are the truest gifts – the gems that uplift us all to a new, expanded level of consciousness.

We all have them – some of them known to us and others perhaps still buried within. It can take a moment in time to begin to recognize your gifts – or it may take a life altering event or relationship to awaken your inner wisdom and beautiful offerings. 

It can be as simple as a smile from your genuine heart – a kind word – an act of forgiveness. It doesn’t matter what you do for a living or how much money you make. What matters is the impact you have on those around you, by being your true, authentic, loving self with healthy boundaries that support you, your path and your gifts. This leaves an undeniable footprint on the hearts of those you touch. It has the potential to change them.

I feel it is our responsibility – in fact, our purpose in life to discover these gifts, to free them from within us and share them with ourselves, our families, our friends and the world at large.  Excavating and diving into the abyss takes courage, dedication, a willingness to be vulnerable and be seen. Each of us will find our own way, in our own timing but the deep primal urge to seek meaning is gnawing at us from birth to find what lies within and nurture it as we share it into the world.

I believe that a big part of my purpose – my gifts – is to inspire and empower people to know themselves better so they can come home to their hearts and love and accept all that they are in the perfectly imperfect ways. This is something I continue to lean into and work everyday to make a difference in my life and those I encounter.

This on-going process to discover your ‘gold’ is a rich and rewarding path to align with in your choices and decisions. 

I’m curious, what gifts do you have and share into your life? Would love to hear from you.