To Gift Or Not To Gift

READY… “The spirit in which a thing is given determined that in which the debt is acknowledged; it’s the intention, not the face-value of the gift; that’s weighed.”  ~ Seneca (5BC – 65AD), Letters to Lucilius, 100A.D.

AIM…  Gift giving at Christmas is all about the thought and love behind the purchase, right?  Apparently that concept is wrong.  Today’s statistics show that it actually IS the gift that counts.  How sad that our society has become so wrapped up in materialism that a simple gift or a handmade creation is underappreciated, if not completely unappreciated. The pressure of giving the perfect gift has caused some folks to resort to gift cards, cash or eliminating gift exchanges altogether.  The following Christmas story is a great illustration of this concept…not to mention a funny situation.

Buy Your Own Present

 

Last Christmas, grandpa was feeling his age, and found that shopping for Christmas gifts had become too difficult. So he decided to send checks to everyone instead.

In each card he wrote, "Buy your own present!" and mailed them early.

 He enjoyed the usual flurry of family festivities, and it was only after the holiday that he noticed that he had received very few cards in return. Puzzled over this, he went into his study, intending to write a couple of his relatives and ask what had happened. It was then, as he cleared off his cluttered desk that he got his answer. Under a stack of papers, he was horrified to find the gift checks which he had forgotten to enclose with the cards.

After a horrified chuckle, Grandpa realized that many of his family members didn’t even send a card to wish him well. Was this because they didn’t receive a gift? Was Christmas really just a time to exchange “thank you” cards for the gifts his family expected?  Let’s all take away a lesson from this story; be intentional about being grateful this Christmas.  No matter what gift you receive, be thankful that someone thought enough to give you a special treat, purchased with you in mind.  And if you find yourself in a situation where you do not receive a gift you might be expecting, don’t be ungrateful, simply redirect your thoughts and enjoy spending time together and making memories.  After all, gifts come and go and eventually get donated or sold in garage sales; fond memories, however, last in our hearts and minds forever.

FIRE!   Get crazy this Christmas and give an unsuspecting person a special gift.  You can simply bake cookies or you can give a gift card for an ice cream shop.  Whatever you do, give from your heart and enjoy the happy moment shared with your recipient.

Be Excellent!

Lori

Super Mom

READY… “A suburban mother’s role is to deliver her children obstetrically once, and by car ever after.” ~ Peter De Vries

AIM… I want to know one thing: Why do we only celebrate mothers on one day out of the whole year? Moms are such an integral part of a successful family. I know for a fact, that moms have far too much to do in the short 24 hour window of a day. And yet, moms squeeze in every last second for extra activities, chores, food prep, homework help, laundry, banking, etc. that they possibly can. Sadly, it is the plight of a Super Mom. I must confess; I am a wanna-be Super Mom. Reality check: it’s impossible. However, for awhile, I was going to die trying to be the first ever Super Mom on the planet, darn it! Yeah, that ambition got shot down real fast by the kryptonite-effect the lack of sleep has on your body. So, for now, I’m happy to be a Semi-Super Mom enjoying the roller coaster ride of life with children and learning to take one day at a time. In the meantime, I’ll let my children believe I still have some super secret powers like using the eyes in the back of my head and my ‘mom sense’ for knowing exactly what they are going to do next before they even do it.

For a hilarious recap on everything we moms say in a 24 hour period, click the following link. You can’t watch this and tell me you, or your mom, hasn’t said the majority of these words and phrases all in the same day! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXgoJ0f5EsQ

FIRE!   At some point today, have the courage to tell a mom that she’s doing a great job at being a mom. Where are you going to find this mom, you ask? You might find yourself behind a mom in the grocery store check-out line, or hear a fellow co-worker talking about her children, or you may actually be standing next to another mom while waiting to pick up your kids after school. No matter who the mom is, or when or where you see her, if you complement her mothering skills, you are guaranteed to bless her and make her day!

Be Excellent!
Lori

Grateful Me

READY… “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” -William Arthur Ward

AIM… I have been participating in a Facebook challenge to post something you are thankful for every day in the month of November leading up to Thanksgiving. Each day I wait until bedtime to review my day and recognize what I was most thankful for that day. I must admit, this week, I am SUPER grateful for my friend Mike who geniusly brought my computer back to life. After a week without my technology, I felt vastly deprived. Such is the way of our world these days, my friends. Computers…you can’t live with ‘em; you can’t live without ‘em! THAT is why you missed out on an Arrows message last week. I desperately tried to send it from my iphone, but alas, my AOI distribution list was on my beloved hard drive. Needless to say, we are back in action and I am most appreciative and thankful for modern technology that allows me to continue to inspire excellence and integrity into the lives of us all.

So…what are you most thankful for this Thanksgiving? The most common answers (as well they should be) are usually God, family, good friends, warm houses, food, clean water, etc. Beyond that list, what invokes your true feelings of gratitude? As you ponder, I will share a few of my favorite thankful things.

* I am thankful for coffee chats with my girlfriends. Nothing fills my soul more than a good cup of warmth and a healthy dose of uninterrupted, quality time connecting.

* I am thankful that my children still want to snuggle with me on the couch and ask for extra hugs at bedtime…even after the lights are out and I’ve left their rooms.

* I am thankful for the days I don’t have to cook at home, and we can enjoy a meal in a restaurant where the servers love what they do and offer excellent service as a result…and with a smile.

* I am thankful to live in a small city where there isn’t much traffic; the downtown is always decorated beautifully for the holidays, and the gals at my bank know me by name…even before they see it on my checks.

* Truly, I am thankful for all my loyal Arrows of Integrity readers. Your words of encouragement and support never go unnoticed, and, in fact, keep me motivated to continue writing each week. No matter what I write about, these divinely inspired messages always seem to touch at least one person with the message you needed to hear. Thank you for your continued love and desire to keep the Arrows coming.

May you all enjoy a beautiful Thanksgiving with hearts full of gratitude.

FIRE! There are 86,400 seconds in every day. Use at least ONE of them to share your gratitude this week of Thanksgiving. Surely, you can find someone with whom you are grateful!!

Be Excellent!
Lori

What If?

READY… “What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank you for it--would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you already have.”
~ Ralph Marston

AIM… Let me ask you something. “What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?” Whoa, talk about an eye-opening question! My friend sent me that as an inspiration for an Arrows of Integrity message. I must admit, it stopped me dead in my tracks. I was horrified to think about what I would open my eyes to see tomorrow because I often neglect to give God thanks for the things I enjoyed or experienced earlier that day. My how we take our lives and all our comforts for granted.

As I pondered this message, it really got me thinking about what I needed to thank God for every day; things that I totally expect every day. I am thankful for my good health. I am thankful for clean water to drink and hot water for stress-relieving showers…daily. I am thankful for air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter. I am thankful for a sturdy house with a strong roof, windows and bathrooms with locks. (Hey, I have children and occasionally need an escape!) I am thankful for my husband’s secure job and more-than-enough paychecks so I can stay home with our children and buy clothing and shoes along with plenty of groceries to feed our family. I am thankful for a loving family and supportive friends. I could go on and on about what I am truly thankful for but we’d literally be here all day.

It became overwhelmingly obvious to me that I simply need to thank God daily for the simple conveniences and blessings He grants us every day simply because He loves us. That’s all it takes is just an honest “thank you” to show gratitude to the one who gives us life so we can live it to the fullest.

FIRE! Don’t wait for a special moment; stop and express your gratitude to God today! Rest assured that He will hear you and will grant you even more tomorrow than you enjoyed today.

Be Excellent!
Lori