Something I've noticed about Weyburn is that we have a community of very generous people. Sure, we have our fair share of petty people too, but when we consider how much is available to people who need assistance, we should be proud of how much the people in our community have each others' backs.
I have personally seen both sides of the charity coin.
I come from giving people. I never recall my parents being unwilling to lend a hand or give whatever was needed to anyone who might have asked. I also grew up believing it was even better to give in secret. A number of years ago in Calgary, I accidentally smashed in my truck and needed money to fix it. My husband was a student and we didn't have any friends with money. Yet somehow, on a Sunday, I checked my mailbox for flyers and I found a mystery envelope containing $500 cash, with nothing written but, "We just wanted to bless the two of you." For real! It was exactly enough to fix my truck.
I had always been a person who trusted in providence, but after that I became truly convinced of the power of giving. I wanted to be able to bless others in any way I could. I wanted to someday be able to put money where it was truly needed. It drove me crazy for years, not knowing who gave it, because I also believe in thanking people for gifts!
Personally, I prefer to give gifts than to receive them, because I don't enjoy a lot of conventional material things and if I know someone is going to spend money on me I like to specify what I actually need. Of course I am not ungrateful! I am extremely practical with gifts unless I know that any extravagance will be appreciated by the recipient, including me.
That being said, if I can't use something, I don't hesitate to give it away. What goes around comes around. I consider myself very thrifty, so I really do like to shop second hand whenever possible.
However, when some people know that you are willing to take second hand items, you risk getting dumped on and all of their crap ends up in your space. It's not appropriate to treat scavengers like pigs. Just because we can be less concerned about germs, doesn't mean we want a mess.
I don't like to over-spend because it's important to me to have more time than it is to have more things. The more you buy, the more you have to work to pay for all that stuff! People spend ridiculous amounts of money unnecessarily and they wonder why they are so stressed out. I like to use my money to buy me more time. As they say, the best things in life aren't things.
Time is also an amazing gift to give others. I have been quite selfish with my time, I must admit. I like to use the excuse that I am working on myself, so I can have more spirit to offer others. But usually all people really want from us is a smile, a hug, a hand. Eye contact is so underrated.
My readers know I'm a huge fan of those who live to serve others and that I aspire to give more of myself, including my time. Every time I do give, I find even more of what I gave away! I have seen it again and again: emptying our attachments to things allows us to fill up with strength of character. Ask anyone who has lived longer than you. You get what you give.
