Thank you Mardy for the gift you give each week. Boil the 10 Commandments down to one and it is "You shall not steal." Murder is stealing a life. Lying is stealing the truth. The only crime is stealing, the only grace is giving.
I will always remember when, as a young man, I sent flowers anonymously to one of my father's family friends whom I was visiting. Listening to the speculation about the sender gave me far more pleasure than if I had signed the card! Not exactly selfless giving - but I was young.
Happy Holidays Mardy and all... For me, the Ultimate Guide to Giving comes from RamBam and his ladder of 7 Steps. Anyone interested can Google RamBam and read his thoughts. Take care everyone and have a safe and peaceful holiday. From the land of St. Nick's birth...
Another poignant parable from Dr Mardy- As I was reading your ‘depthful’ essay “on giving” this week, the Hebrew expression which can be traced back to the Bible, Tikkun Olam, came to mind. This term means to repair the world.
By giving of oneself through charitable donations or selfless efforts we are divesting of ourselves as well as investing in others….. to, paradoxically, borrow a phrase.
What a beautiful essay today. Certainly made me stop and think about how much "giving" I do -- or perhaps how little -- especially at this time of year and with the shape in which our country/world finds itself. Thanks for providing a pause during this hectic season.
Excellent article, my friend. A very worthy theme to contemplate and apply!
You were tracing the history of this topic in literature. You will find references to it in the Bible, including the book of Proverbs, written in the 9th to 7th century B.C.:
Proverbs 11:24-25 (NIV): "One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed."
Proverbs 22:9: "The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor."
And, while not as far past, we should not overlook the words of Jesus, who takes this truth to its ultimate expression: "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:25-26 NKJV)
Isabel Allende's message meant the most to me this week; the idea of giving by sharing one's gifts or talents. I have been posting videos of songs on Facebook that I am pretty sure no one would ever hear of without my efforts. It isn't a case of ego or vanity, as I am 'way far past my prime in both singing and playing (and appearance!); rather a desire to enlighten younger generations of wonderful, clever, beautiful melodies and lyrics lost in time. I am pleasantly gratified with the reception I receive
Thanks, Pat. I was also touched by her story when I first learned about it. When you reply, please paste in a link, so I (and others) can join in on the fun.
Did you know that a "tyro" is a novice, or in my case, a real dummy? I thought it would be the perfect user-id for my venture into Computerland. Apropos of that, I still don't know what the url would be. Can you help me further? I have put the videos on the "world" sign so everybody can watch them. I could try to email them to you.
Thank you Mardy for the gift you give each week. Boil the 10 Commandments down to one and it is "You shall not steal." Murder is stealing a life. Lying is stealing the truth. The only crime is stealing, the only grace is giving.
Thanks for your kind words and wise thoughts, Michael.
I will always remember when, as a young man, I sent flowers anonymously to one of my father's family friends whom I was visiting. Listening to the speculation about the sender gave me far more pleasure than if I had signed the card! Not exactly selfless giving - but I was young.
Thanks, Nick. A cool story.
Happy Holidays Mardy and all... For me, the Ultimate Guide to Giving comes from RamBam and his ladder of 7 Steps. Anyone interested can Google RamBam and read his thoughts. Take care everyone and have a safe and peaceful holiday. From the land of St. Nick's birth...
And the same to you, Arlene. Thanks for the recommendation. Will certainly check him out!
Another poignant parable from Dr Mardy- As I was reading your ‘depthful’ essay “on giving” this week, the Hebrew expression which can be traced back to the Bible, Tikkun Olam, came to mind. This term means to repair the world.
By giving of oneself through charitable donations or selfless efforts we are divesting of ourselves as well as investing in others….. to, paradoxically, borrow a phrase.
Thanks so much, Phil, I am touched by your words. I love that "Tikkun olam" expression, and I'm so happy you shared the concept here.
What a beautiful essay today. Certainly made me stop and think about how much "giving" I do -- or perhaps how little -- especially at this time of year and with the shape in which our country/world finds itself. Thanks for providing a pause during this hectic season.
Thanks for your heartwarming words, Kelly. Writing the post made me realize that I could do a whole lot better as well.
Excellent article, my friend. A very worthy theme to contemplate and apply!
You were tracing the history of this topic in literature. You will find references to it in the Bible, including the book of Proverbs, written in the 9th to 7th century B.C.:
Proverbs 11:24-25 (NIV): "One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed."
Proverbs 22:9: "The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor."
And, while not as far past, we should not overlook the words of Jesus, who takes this truth to its ultimate expression: "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:25-26 NKJV)
Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!
Thanks for your kind words, Scott, and for those additional passages from Scripture. All right on the mark.
Isabel Allende's message meant the most to me this week; the idea of giving by sharing one's gifts or talents. I have been posting videos of songs on Facebook that I am pretty sure no one would ever hear of without my efforts. It isn't a case of ego or vanity, as I am 'way far past my prime in both singing and playing (and appearance!); rather a desire to enlighten younger generations of wonderful, clever, beautiful melodies and lyrics lost in time. I am pleasantly gratified with the reception I receive
Thanks, Pat. I was also touched by her story when I first learned about it. When you reply, please paste in a link, so I (and others) can join in on the fun.
Sorry - I don't know what you mean by link.
It's the url address I have to click to see one of your songs on Facebook.
Did you know that a "tyro" is a novice, or in my case, a real dummy? I thought it would be the perfect user-id for my venture into Computerland. Apropos of that, I still don't know what the url would be. Can you help me further? I have put the videos on the "world" sign so everybody can watch them. I could try to email them to you.
Yes, please do that. Once I get them, I'll provide the link.
Thanks for the candor and honesty, John. As I said in my post, it's veneer too late to begin to rectify an unfortunate situation.
A paradox I find easier to believe as I age
Well said, Blayney
Giving is good...no doubt about that. But not if it means that you are giving up yourself. Caregivers can face that....
Thanks for weighing in, Barbara. I believe you are describing a definite reality here.