On giving and receiving

We went to church this morning like any other Sunday, and came home with not one, but four unexpected gifts.

First, from Lauren: "I remembered you said shoofly pie was your favorite...so I made you one."

Then, from someone who heard we're going to Yellowstone National Park for our end-of-year trip, some magazines about Yellowstone to help us plan for the trip in just six weeks.

Then, a beautiful hand-made centerpiece that was used at last weekend's RAWtools fundraising dinner, as a thank-you for helping to serve the food.

And finally, two dozen eggs from another family's backyard chickens.

The people of Beth-El Mennonite Church have given us so much more than this, but these gifts are the best physical representation I have of the intangible things we've been given -- love, a genuine welcome, and servant-heartedness. This year, being part of a volunteer program, I've had to learn a lot about how to accept generosity. Often times it means wanting to give something in return, but knowing that we probably won't be able to. And it's also important to realize that although my instinct is to reciprocate a gift with another gift, it's usually not necessary to the person who's doing the giving. Instead, I am simply full of gratitude, and may this be an inspiration in the future for myself and others to give with arms wide open -- giving for the sake of giving, and expecting nothing in return.