Today’s first was inspired by my facebook friend, Marva. In several of her posts she told the story of her neighbor and her exchanging a mason jar filled with various goodies. One would give the other a gift in the jar, such as soup, and the other would soon return the jar, filled with something new. Marva didn’t know she was inspiring me….she was just being her delightful self and as a result, goodness went out into the world and sparked creativity in me.
I adapted the idea. Today I created two giving jars, using pint sized mason jars. I filled each one with blackberries and blueberries and tied a burlap ribbon around the top of the jar. They looked cute and they were filled with a healthy snack. As the recipients of the giving jars use up the gift, they can then fill the jar with whatever they want, when they want, and pass the jar on to someone else. This is an act of paying it forward.
The first person I dropped a jar off to was my younger daughter, Adriel. This hard working child is currently taking two summer classes and then has one more semester of nursing school. She has persevered and continued down this path without wavering. She has worked while going to college and then nursing school, so this has been a long, slow process for her. I know she’s dealing with stress, with school and work and life. I also knew that today she was home studying for an online exam this evening. I wanted her to know I was thinking of her and quietly cheering on her. She knows I love her, but sometimes it doesn’t hurt to show that love in a very concrete way.
The next person to receive a giving jar was my friend, Cate. She invited me over for dinner tonight, a lovely, healthy meal prepared with my diet in mind. How incredibly thoughtful! Cate and I enjoyed chatting and laughing before, during and after dinner. She is a new friend, but it feels like we’ve known each other for a long time. We have very similar views of the world and what fun it was to toss ideas and stories back and forth. I know Cate will surprise someone else with the giving jar, and enjoy doing it. I look forward to our continuing friendship as we journey together. I found out as I was leaving that tomorrow is Cate’s birthday! I love how things work out.
This was such a fun little project, that I think I will create more giving jars to give away. Steve Maraboli says, “Give freely to the world these gifts of love and compassion. Do not concern yourself with how much you receive in return, just know in your heart it will be returned.” That captures the essence of giving, doing so without a thought of receiving in return and yet knowing love and goodness will flow back to me in some fashion. It’s not up to me to think about the hows or whens. I am to give freely out of who I am. I am open to give, open to receive, open to life.