Giving to Make a Difference

Gifts of one who loved me, 'Twas high time they came; When he ceased to love me, Time they stopped for shame.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that back in 1844 and also wrote, "It is said that the world is in a state of bankruptcy, that the world owes the world more than the world can pay, and ought to go into chancery, and be sold. I do not think this general insolvency, which involves in some sort all the population, to be the reason of the difficulty experienced at Christmas and New Year, and other times, in bestowing gifts; since it is always so pleasant to be generous, though very vexatious to pay debts."

Mr. Emerson is writing about being generous in your giving to others.

He also laments in his writings just how difficult it is to choose the right ones to give to. I like to think that the act of being generous to another person is more important then the gift itself. Just don't think that it means you are to be cheap and meaningless in the gift.

The act of trying to find the right gift means that you do care.

The same can be said of your dealing with people you do not know. The grocery clerk, the waitress or one of the many people you come in contact with on a daily basis becomes a chance to bestow a gift of something. It could be a kind word or a smile, saying thank you and simply being pleasant to them.

In hard economic times, people are struggling to make ends meet. Those on the lower end of the pay scales are finding it even more difficult. In example the waitress or waiter scrambling to get your meal to you and trying to keep your drink cup filled, has bills, concerns and dreams of making a life for themselves.

A decent monetary tip is good to give, especially if you have the means to do so.

An extra dollar or two may not seem like a lot, but it can brighten the day of someone.

Having a generous heart is not all that difficult. Helping others through kindness and generosity is an expression of your heart for others.

Allow it to shine upon others. Stay inspired my friends.

Get by Giving

"Don’t be overly concerned with what you are or are not “into.” Don’t dwell on whether or not you are “feeling” it. Push on and benefit anyway." -Jim Crumbley

Here it is, day five of our "week of giving" during the Christmas season. The idea of giving is sometimes interpreted as "giving only in terms of getting something in return." People will give only when they see a tangible return that will be received.

My thought is that you should give of your time, talent and monies even when you don't see a clear benefit. Many times the benefit is not felt until you actually advance with your giving. That is what selfless giving is, giving without expectation of anything in return.

What does happen is that benefit will happen to both parties involved. The person receiving the gift will gain whatever is given. The person giving (YOU) will find benefit in ways never thought of.

So you can give your money by donating to one of hundreds, even thousands of worth-while causes. You can give to the Quinn House, to Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta, Compassion International, the Salvation Army and maybe any local charity that exists in your community.

You can give of your time and talent to any one of these or many organizations. You can help cook a meal or deliver a meal. You can deliver gifts to children or visit retirees living alone in a home. You have a car and can offer rides to the doctor for those in need. You can volunteer at the hospital as a greeter, or collect monies for the Salvation Army ringing a bell.

Life has many opportunities for you to participate in or give to. The benefit to you should not be of concern to you. The benefit will come to you in ways you will least expect. So stop worrying about what you will "benefit" and just get on with "giving" to others. As the saying goes, "...tis the season." Everyday of the year it is the season of giving.

Stay inspired my friends.

Christmas at the Quinn House

"Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work." -Mother Teresa

The third day of our 'giving back' week during the Christmas season is here and today I am highlighting the Quinn House in Lawrenceville, GA. This organization is involved in assisting individuals and families on all levels in Gwinnett County of Georgia. It is quite like many different organizations throughout the area, state and country. These folks genuinely care for those that need an extra hand in life.

And like many others, they are in need of many items for their food pantry. And even though they do provide food to those in need, they also provide clothing, and shelter to the homeless. So your tax deductible donations are greatly needed as well.

I tell you this not only because it is the Christmas season and people tend to be in a much more giving mood. I tell you this because even the homeless and needy exist during this time of the year as well as the rest of the year. They not only survive during the summer heat but have to survive during the cold winters. Families scraping to get by due to circumstances of life still want to have a warm place to sleep. They want to feed their children and themselves a hot meal once in a while. They want to have a joyous Christmas.

Sounds familiar to each one of us, those basic needs in life that we some times take for granted. So while you are out buying presents for family and friends, pick up an extra gift for someone in need. While out buying all of that food for a grand Christmas dinner, buy some extra food and donate it to the Quinn House food pantry (see the list link above). And finally while paying bills during this final month of the year, write a check to an organization that helps those in need.

A little bit from a lot of people goes a long ways. Help out those organizations in your community during the Christmas season. Then let it become habit and help them out throughout the year. Your small gesture of kindness and giving will have a huge impact on others. It will have a huge impact on your own heart as well.

Stay inspired my friends.

Tis the Season

by Dolceanne

"Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go." -Mother Teresa

Gift, the transfer of something without the expectation of receiving something in return.

Generosity, the habit of giving freely without expecting anything in return.

Charity (practice), the giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.

The holiday season has begun officially, at least on my calendar. In some places (namely stores) it started about a month ago with the selling of Christmas items and early sales to lure you in. For me the Christmas Holiday starts after the Thanksgiving Holiday here in the United States. I have always felt that Thanksgiving gets short shrift in all of the excitement of Christmas.

But I am not here to discuss the level of attention one holiday gets over another. What I am here to talk about is Christmas and the receiving and giving of presents. There will be little Bobbie and Suzie to get presents for. Then of course Uncle Fred, Aunt Louise, your brother Earl and sister-in-law June will need a gift. The list can grow long and complicated.

Along with giving to family and friends, think about giving to those you may not know. You could give an extra generous tip to the waitress at Waffle House. Maybe you could clean out your closet of any clothes and shoes older than six months and give to a charity. There is the Salvation Army that can always use volunteers to help feed those in need.

Quite frankly, there is no shortage of places you can think of, find or look up. Apply a few minutes to making a list as you would your Christmas shopping list. Then go out and love the world with your giving, large or small it makes a huge difference in the life of people. It will have a huge impact on your own life.

Enjoy the holiday season, remember what Christmas means and its greatest gift to us and than spread that love and caring to others.

Stay inspired my friends.

Give Without Expectation

"When I chased after money, I never had enough. When I got my life on purpose and focused on giving of myself and everything that arrived into my life, then I was prosperous."

~Wayne Dyer~

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United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 8283

Noncash Charitable Contributions

Contributions From Which You Benefit

If you receive a benefit as a result of making a contribution to a qualified organization, you can deduct only the amount of your contribution that is more than the value of the benefit you receive.

In ex; you pay $65 for a ticket to a dinner-dance at a church. All the proceeds of the function go to the church. The ticket to the dinner-dance has a fair market value of $25. When you buy your ticket, you know that its value is less than your payment. To figure the amount of your charitable contribution, you subtract the value of the benefit you receive ($25) from your total payment ($65). You can deduct $40 as a charitable contribution to the church.

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Even the U.S. government acknowledges that to gift something, there can be no benefit to you if it truly is a gift. The gift given can not result in you receiving anything in return of tangible value. If so, that portion of the gift can not be claimed on your taxes.

Thank goodness we don't get taxed on the intangible aspects of giving. Or at least until govenrment officials figure out how to tax one's heart. The intangible benefit to giving can fill one's heart and soul with greatness. A benefit that can not be measured or taxed for that matter.

Gifts to others can come in many different forms such as money, clothing, or services. I see gifting not only in those forms, but in the every day things I see others do. The holding of a door open for another person, the friendly hello or carrying the grocery bags of another. The gifts we give manifest themselves in the form of a smile or handshake.

A gift can even be in the acknowledgement of the other person. So many times we walk through our day glancing away from others. We glance away from the homeless, the jobless, the lonely or the hungry. We even glance away from those we work with or even love. Too many times we are afraid to acknowledge another because we 'might' be asked for more.

Good golly, we might need to help someone that is in need. We might even have to forgo our tired state and interact. Yet the act of giving when nothing in return is expected or even seemingly possible will give back more then you imagine. An overwhelming feeling of energy and happiness fills your being.

Psychology Today wrote, "We've all heard the old adage that it's better to give than to receive, but why this is so is less known. As will become clear, giving is a gift—not only to others, but to ourselves—because it increases the bond between us and the person to whom we have given, tells us about ourselves and generally increases our feelings of competence."

In religious terms (2 Corinthians 8 & 9), translators had used an
English word, ‘liberality’/’liberal’ (or ‘generous’ in later versions) which suggested the size or extent of the gift, to represent a Greek word haplotes/haplos, which really meant ‘sincere, simple, unaffected,’ and related to the heart attitude or motive of the giver.

So giving comes from the heart with no expectation in return. This giving comes in large ways such as huge sums of money or other assets. But the majority of giving comes in small, seemingly meaningless ways. It is the small gifts which can have such a large impact on someone's life. Their life gets impacted and in an almost undetectable way, we get impacted.

So give without expectation of getting anything in return. Give with your heart and make a difference in the life of someone. Watch your own life gain something greater and best of all, no one can place a tax on that.

Giving Spirit

Here we are at the end of a holiday weekend here in the U.S. Our short holiday before the Christmas and New Years celebrations. There were many of course that had to work but hopefully many were able to spend a small amount of time with their loved ones.

To be thankful for all that we have is something each of us around the world should be. Taking time to think of all that we do have and not concentrate on what we don't have. For me, I'm thankful for the huge generosity of those around me. Those that are close friends and those that are coworkers, the ones that supported a donation effort.

A little over two weeks ago, I started a donation drive for members of an Army Signal Company (U.S. Army), which is currently in Iraq. My son is a member of that group and we were taking donations of items for the entire group. Items that bring 'home' a little closer and items that just say thank you for all that they do.

There are many varying opinions about our presence in Iraq and I'm not here to debate it. I'm here to simply state that there are many people here at home that are generous in their giving. We collected over 600 lbs of goods including snack food, toiletries, games, magazines and other items. There was also an outpouring of a monetary amount which enabled us to purchase a flat screen TV and game equipment.

People that I never knew came forward to help in this effort. One such person was a lady name Lisa. Her husband had been a member of a motorcycle club that supported veterans and he had served in the military himself. He died in November of 2006 (non-military) and in memory of his love for fellow man, she gave in generous kindness.

It is this wonderful giving and thoughtfulness on her part which sends my heart soaring. She is an example of all those that give. Giving to others, supporting others in a generous manner. Take time to be thankful for what you have and then turn that into a giving act. Find a cause or a reason to help another.

To Serve Another

“The most infectiously joyous men and women are those who forget themselves in thinking about and serving others” -Robert J. McCracken

Within our life time, each of us will need to place our needs or wants to the side. It may be at a point when we have kids or some other obligation. This may be due to unforeseen circumstances or by choice, either way, you will be in a position requiring effort to help other first.

“Balance, peace, and joy are the fruit of a successful life. It starts with recognizing your talents and finding ways to serve others by using them.” -Thomas Kinkade

When this happens, you will have moved from a 'taking' environment into a 'serving' environment. This does not mean that you lose everything and nothing is gained. Far from that, you will reap benefits of having this serving attitude. It will impact you and those that you are serving.

“Happiness... consists in giving, and in serving others.” -Henry Drummond

Find a serving attitude in your heart and you will be rewarded with a fuller life. It is in the giving of yourself that your success will be measured.