A Cheerful Giver

I recently came across a website about couponing, and she had an article up called "Paying it forward". Upon reading one of the comments:

I was at the mall this week and had already eaten lunch. I had printed a coupon for the free slice of pizza and didn’t need it. I walked up to a father in line with his daughter and asked if they would like it. The surprised shocked and happy look on their faces was priceless. It reminded me of when my husband and I were really tight around Christmas one year. I was in line at Chick-Fil-a and was scrapping our change together to buy our son a sandwich. A lady must have noticed us, and walked up to me and handed me a $5 bill and said “you dropped this” when I replied that it wasn’t mine and I hadn’t dropped it, she looked at me, smiled, and said Merry Christmas. I will never forget. I love to pay things forward because they really do come back to you.

...I got to thinking about giving. I remember when I used to cross the San Mateo Bridge on a weekly basis. One thing I LOVED DOING was paying for the person behind me. It was so funny to look in my rear view mirror while driving away, and seeing their astonished looking faces as they tried to pay, but I had already done so. It always made me feel good. I guess thats why God loves a cheerful giver. It's better to give than receive.

So as this year winds down, remember to be a cheerful giver. Do something nice for someone. Leave a rose on your wifes car in the morning. When the person behind you only has a few things to purchase, let them go first. Mail a card to your best friend. Sure you can text, but it's so much more personal to receive mail with handwriting. Just taking the time to give, and to give cheerfully will warm your heart more than you ever realized.

Until next post,