From you I receive, to you I give. Together we share, and from this we live.
by Joseph and Nathan Segal, UU hymnbook
For many, December is a month of giving and receiving gifts. This month finds me taking up my knitting needles, stirring pots of lye and fat to make soap, and buzzing along at the sewing machine to make homemade gifts to share with those I love.
In preparing to write this article, I read many different views on how giving and receiving can be acts of spirituality. A few that touched me:
From UUA President Peter Morales’ 2014 Holiday Message – “When we give of ourselves we give something precious. Think about that for a moment. You are the gift others most want to receive. We are gifts—one to another.”
From Frederic and Mary Ann Brussati in their article “Learning to Receive,” “Our reluctance to freely receive affects our relationships with others and limits our openness to God’s grace. Getting better at receiving, then, is an important intention of spiritual practice.”
What are your beliefs and attitudes about giving and receiving? Please take a moment to ponder how you might wish to give and receive during this holiday season. Also please remember, in this potentially frenzied month, you are the gift and to graciously receive from others is a spiritual practice.
Carol Zimmerman, Director of Religious Education