Gifts

Skies are starting to open. The temperature now is 66 degrees, fahrenheit. Today is Thursday.

It has been quite a while since the inspiration and time to write came. This is a moment when the desire has tripled, with three different writings wanting to emerge so here we go. This one is about gifts.

We think of gifts in many ways. In the most basic sense - there is the materiality of gifts - birthdays, graduations, weddings, babies - we find all kinds of moments to bring forth gift-giving. So much so, that we forget that the gifting can happen for no reason at all. That, in the first instance, is an act that we have forgotten about or so it seems. Then, there is the gift of the non-material: time with a friend, a blessing sent to one who needs healing; and shared laugh or cry are a few examples of the non-material. Finally, there is the unseen, unfelt, and most powerful – that is the gift of struggle.

Sounds a little crazy? Struggle? But yes, the gift of struggle which we so often try to avoid, can be the greatest thing that the universe delivers to us. Because in that experience, one has the chance to examine very closely their existence. There is the encounter with unwanted physical, emotional, and psychological extraction and pain. The thing that also comes is the opening of a door to spiritual awakening.

Please do not read this as suggesting that the ultimate effect is that one becomes religious. It would be a mistake to conclude that. Instead, the suggestion is that no one in life gets away from the fact that the unexpected, uncontrollable by will, and unwelcome conditions will enter. People do all they can to avoid this. No matter who you are, what you hold as material wealth, how many insurance policies you have taken out or have been given – you still will struggle and if you are really lucky - you will struggle tremendously and then, as it always is, things will either pass or turn into something that requires you to deepen your understanding about the myriad of ways LIFE works.

In today's world, we collectively are faced with the gift of choosing a future society that will reflect our highest aspirations. The question is always, "How?" And here is where each of us has a chance to manifest a contribution that can be made to create the future we want to see and live into for generations to come. The answer to how that is done requires each one of us to go deeply into the place where nothing exists. Only there, can there be space for an answer to emerge. Sometimes, it may reveal actions to be taken; other times, it may reveal that no action can change the situation and instead, one must wait for the inevitability of change. Change is constant and so is struggle. So the essential thing to do is find the gift you were meant to bring into the world. It most certainly, by definition, will not be destructive; rather, it will be affirming of life. Each of us simply needs to be willing to navigate to that affirmation.