hoarders or givers

“In the end, though, maybe we must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. In the end, maybe it's wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.”

― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, pray, love: one woman's search for everything

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In the end

It seems

Or in the beginning

It is really a matter of gratitude

When we become narrow, tight

Hugging things to ourselves

It is not because we don’t have enough

As much as it is that we don’t see how much we have

We don’t see the gifts

We just

Don’t

See

Them

They are right there!

The sky, the mountains

The clouds

Sunrise, sunset

The doe who eats my flower

The calves playing in the pasture

The eagle on the wing

Gifts

A child’s laughter

A friend’s hug

A thank you from a client

Gifts

So many gifts received

So many gifts to be given

If we were to surrender to generosity

Human and divine

We would be full to overflowing

With all good gifts,

We would be driven to thanksgiving

And driven also to our own kind of generosity

For gratitude is the fuel of generosity

And it is those with glad and grateful hearts

Who give

Gladly and joyfully

We seem to have two choices,

to focus on what we do not have

Or on what we are afraid we will lose,

And sit around in fear

Fearful hoarders

Or to focus on what we have received,

find our gratitude

And become Cheerful givers

The choice is up to us

What is it going to be?