Quote
“What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.”
Christina Rossetti – In The Bleak Midwinter (Final Verse)
“In the Bleak Midwinter” is a poem by the English poet Christina Rossetti, commonly performed as a Christmas carol. The poem was published, under the title “A Christmas Carol”, in the January 1872 issue of Scribner’s Monthly.
Reflection
WE HAVE CHRISTMAS BACK-TO-FRONT, & UPSIDE-DOWN.
The message of Christmas is all about GIVING.
And yet, to many people it is all about RECEIVING.
From an early age, we are encouraged to write a list to Santa of things we WANT (or would like) for Christmas.
Our Christmas wish-list continues into adulthood, and we are EXPECTED to receive (as well to give) gifts to and from family and friends and beyond.
These gifts have VALUE. Cheap..expensive…and there are certain values of gifts that are expected.
The hype that surrounds the commercialisation of Christmas starts to outweigh the original message.
The value of the gift received starts to outweigh the gift itself.
We start to forget the message.
GIVING.
Simply GIVING.
If only our young were encouraged to write a GIVING list. What am I going to GIVE this Christmas? And to whom?
Its value doesn’t necessarily have to be decided by cost.
It might be that you write someone a poem.
It might be that you draw someone a picture.
It doesn’t have to have a cost. It doesn’t have to be bought.
If you have no money, it can’t be.
It can be, literally, a gift ‘from the heart’.
It doesn’t matter what you give.
As long as you give something.
“What I can, I give him.”
The message of Christmas is all about GIVING.
And I leave you with another quote:
“Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference.” — Kathy Calvin
Merry Christmas!
Until next week,
Ged Roberts
Author and Mindset Mentor