How may I give?

My kids go to the Denver Waldorf School. We have an auction coming up on March 20th. Our school is one of those that need auctions and annual giving campaigns to bridge the gap between what is brought in from tuition and the actual costs of running the school. At our last parent council meeting, we realized that it was a necessity to procure more items for the auction. I was one of those that said "give me a job and I'll go out and do it!" One of the jobs was to go to Cherry Creek North and get some of the stores in that shopping district to donate some items. For those of you that don’t know Denver, Cherry Creek North is a high-end shopping area. I decided to also go to the Lowry shopping center which is not quite as big.

I can’t say I’m a customer of any of the stores or restaurants in either shopping area other than Cucina Colore in Cherry Creek which is a fabulous Italian restaurant I might add. Those stores that I walked into and just gave me something right away were the ones that I have talked about to everyone I have seen since the moment I left their store. It doesn’t matter if they gave me a “wine of the month” gift certificate for a whole year or a $10 coupon – I truly appreciated the fact that they gave something.

I can say to you that I will go out of my way to buy a bottle of wine from Chateau Liquors or The Vineyard in Cherry Creek. I will definitely find a way to take knitting lessons from “The Modern Ewe” in Lowry. The Savory Spice Shop in Lowry has ready-made boxes that they just hand out to anyone who shows up asking for a donation. They have made a lifetime customer out of me with their donation of a spice box worth $21.50. The restaurant Brio handed me a $50 gift certificate on the spot. Doesn’t that make you want to go there for dinner tonight? There’s something about receiving that makes you want to turn around and give right back.

I had a young lady call me the other day for a reading. She said that she had called a few people prior to me and she felt like they had conned her out of a lot of money without truly giving her any of the answers she was seeking. Of course always the teacher I told her that maybe that was her sign from the Universe that she needs to look within for the answers. We hung up under the assumption that if she wanted to call me back for a reading she should do a 1 question reading for $15. That is my way of allowing someone the opportunity to get a reading without investing a lot of money. I’ve learned that everything in life is a balance and there must be a give and a take in everything. However, I couldn’t get her out of my mind.

My oldest son is affectionately termed the wizard by me because he constantly is telling me what God wants me to know. Some of my students have seen him do readings with his crystal ball. He just picked it up one day and just started talking; after a few minutes he had my full attention. For those of you with young kids, try asking them about their relationship with God and their spirit guides; you’ll be amazed as to what comes out of their mouth.

The other day, I asked him to give me a reading. I asked him if I should give this young woman a free reading and these were his exact words “mommy that would be great. If you gave this woman a free reading you would be so much better off with God. If you don’t give her a free reading that is ok as well but giving her a free reading will give back to you so much more.” This is also the kid that told me “the problem with adults is that we don’t think before we do, kids think before they do. They look at which football team they’d like to be on instead of just jumping in to the wrong one.” I’ll bet you’d be listening to my 6 year old as well when he’s communicating with his crystal. So of course, I called the woman back and told her that I was offering her a free reading. I can tell you that I am already ecstatic that I did that because I could feel her energy soaring after I told her.

It has been a fun process going out there and procuring items for our upcoming auction but I tell you the best part was being the recipient of generosity. It’s certainly made me think of how may I serve and how may I give. You never know how someone gets touched by generosity and how it’ll make a change in their life. Make that your theme for the day “how may I give?” Maybe to the next person who shows up at your door or just by listening to a friend.

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In a giving mood!
Mary