gift exchange
love has been extremely generous through the years, showering me with her gorgeous gifts and one-of-a-kind treasures. my heart is continuously refilled with gratitude for the people who unexpectedly show up in my life with wise words, priceless moments, effective lessons, constant friendship and delicious adventure. rumi says it best in the guest house (one of my favorite poems), “be grateful for whomever comes, because each one has been sent as a guide from beyond.“ every guest enters our lives to deliver a unique token, for incomprehensible reasons that only time can conclude. we must trust that everyone we choose to let in has something of value to offer and is also in dire need of something from us, which becomes a beautiful dance between two people that lasts a song, two songs, or maybe even a lifetime, until the gifts have been exchanged. it makes no difference how long we dance with the individual who has been serendipitously placed in our world, only how we dance with the living soul: vivaciously, gracefully, honestly, openly, lovingly, attentively.
here are a few words from a song by cheryl wheeler that has always touched my heart, reminding me of a few angelic beings who have generously offered their rare gifts and touched me in ways that no small act can compare.
i must have been gandhi or buddha, or someone like that,
i must have saved lives by the hundreds everywhere i went,
i must have brought rest to the restless, fed the hungry too,
i must have done something great, to get to have you.
i suppose stranger things have come to pass,
many’s the forest i can’t see.
i was so down and lost and fading fast.
how did you find your way to me?
