♥Giving and receiving at Christmas...

♥ DAILY LOVE TIP – Wednesday December 21, 2011

Greetings to you most special ♥Ones,

I wrote this article some time ago…and I thought I would resurrect it as many of you will not have read it and it is worth sharing again……maybe it’s a bit like getting the “Chrissy” decorations out and giving them a bit of ‘a polish’ and creating this year’s magic which looks just like new….I have edited parts of it and rearranged it some……

GIVING AND RECEIVING AT CHRISTMAS

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“The only gift is a portion of yourself” ~ Emerson

Love is not a matter of what happens in life. It’s a matter of what’s happening in your heart…~Ken Keyes

The Festive Season is traditionally a time of the year for Giving and Receiving…………. A time for ♥LOVE , ♥JOY, ♥PEACE and ♥MIRACLES on Earth. It is a time to rejoice, to make merry and honour and to drink a toast to all we’ve experienced and achieved in the year. A time to sit back and reflect and count our many blessings and celebrate and applaud all our amazing lives and growth and breakthroughs. A time when families and friends come together and share and care about each other…..

Yet some of you are maybe saying it’s also a time of stress…….and hassles…………

Of shopping, shopping and more shopping,……….. of endless queues and pushing and shoving………….not knowing what to get for people;……. and having to pretend that you like the gifts that are given to you that just aren’t you;…… having to meet up with and share with family and relatives that feels uncomfortable and sometimes outright scary when you think of the things you’d really like to say to them……and then trying to work out how to pay for all these extra outgoings that skyrockets the credit card balance…….feeling like it’s just one big commercial rip off and farce and emotional drain……

And, maybe for some of you it is also a time of extreme loneliness and heartache. With a high divorce rate of around 50% many families will be separated at Christmas and some just newly so. How to work out who the kids will wake up with Christmas morning♥ How to work out where they and you will spend the day and the holidays♥ What about the in-laws and grandparents you feel uncomfortable sharing with but the kids and/or your partner want to visit♥

I invite you to consider making this Christmas a time full of rich blessings. How can I do that♥.….you say when I’ve answered Yes to many of the above………
Well, what I am going to ask you to consider is that what is happening in your life right now at Christmas time, and in fact at any time, usually has a direct link to the conditioning we received as we were growing up. And yes, we can learn how to change these patterns and consequently what happens in our lives.

As children we are ‘taught’ who we are allowed to be and how we can expect to be treated by others. We unconsciously adopt a self-image and a world-image. We are all born having needs but what is overwhelmingly sad in our culture is a large amount of people haven’t learnt that it’s OK to have their needs and that it’s OK to ask for what they want and to get what they want and to get their needs met.

And also what many have learned to do is to give their loved ones what they think they need rather than exploring and discovering what they truly want and listening when they tell them. As well, many have the belief –If I have to tell you what I want then you don’t really love me……

So what we are talking about here is checking in on what are your beliefs about giving and receiving,……about having needs,……… about getting your needs met,…….. about saying Yes and saying No by checking in on your own likes and dislikes………. and about whether I can authentically express who I am and ask for what I want. People live their life based on what beliefs they have, some of which they haven’t ever really questioned…. And this may lead to holding onto values that do not serve or benefit you in your life anymore….

I believe in people getting what they want and living the life they want. I believe my needs and your needs are OK and it is OK for others to meet my needs and for me to care about and to meet the needs of the people that matter to me. I also believe that I know best what I want and you know best what you want.

So what this all adds up to is I believe that the reality that I live in has more to do with my thoughts and beliefs than any other factor.

So, what do you believe in and what beliefs do you choose to have♥ This Christmas and Festive season I invite you to check in on your beliefs about the way you think others should treat you, and about whether it’s OK to ask for, and to get what you want.

Gifts are a means to tell people you care…… whether the gift you are giving is a physical object or a gift of your time or talents or your presence. Gifts are a way to say: “Hey, you are unique and special and I want to treat and indulge and pamper you.” And our gifts have to do just that. They need to ‘hit the spot’ to touch the heart of the receiver.

So making ♥Wish List of what makes you feel loved and cared for and communicating these to your family and friends is a good way to go. Or, as well, ask your loved ones to make a list for you and choose to give from the list what makes you feel good and what is within your budget and means. Be authentic. A gift that has your authenticity and loving energy in it will have much more meaning for you and the receiver.

Remember that ♥LOVE is a verb and that ♥LOVE grows in response to getting our needs met. Two quotes that are central to me here are:

“all that is given is given to myself” from the Course Of Miracles and,
“the only gift is a portion of yourself” by Emerson.

Questions for you: What are your beliefs about giving and receiving and about having needs and getting your needs met. What is the meaning of Christmas for you♥ Any other beliefs that come up for you♥…….. What have been the most memorable gifts you have received over the years♥…..and the gifts you have most enjoyed giving♥ Share about this topic with someone using the ♥MIRRORING format and/or write about it in your journal…..

I send you wishes for ♥LOVE and connection with those dear to your heart over this Festive Season. May you enjoy the practicing of traditions and rituals that bring you closer to your family and ♥LOVE-d ones. Know that we are all born with the capacity for giving and receiving unlimited ♥LOVE. Know that all your relationships and interactions are an opportunity for you to become more of who you authentically are.

May your Festive Season be full of wonder and laughter. May you indulge in many “glorious indelible moments………” as SARK would say. And, above all may you discover the exquisitely precious Gift that ♥You are. Enjoy and be Merry!

♥LOVE AND BLESSINGS, SUSIE