A young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet he filled his leather container so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher. After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart. Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container. The student challenged his teacher, "Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?" The teacher replied, "You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter. Heartfelt gifts deserve the return gift of gratitude."
My Message:
I'm sure you've received a gift from a young child. The natural and proper response is appreciation and expressed thankfulness because you love the idea wrapped around the gift and of course you want to encourage to child to continue the beauty of giving. Now gratitude always takes hard work as it doesn't come naturally. Sometimes we find it hard to show total appreciation for gifts we receive from people. This is because sometimes we only value the item given rather than the feeling and thoughtfulness embodied in it. It's important to never forget the beauty and purity of feelings and expressions wrapped around the gifts we receive. Don't just look at the item, look at the person giving it and know with certainty that gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart.
May you have an Awesome week!
Darren Zwiers
"Love is always bestowed as a gift - freely, willingly and without expectation. We don't love to be loved; we love to love." ~ Leo Buscaglia
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