There is a point and a purpose to posting these photos and if you’ll bear with me for a moment I will share it with you.
Those pictures start on May 23, 1982 and extend all the way into February of 2013. If you are the kind of person that likes details you’ll be happy to know that it also encompasses July 1993, May 1994, January 1997 and various times in 2002 and 2006…I think.
It is only a few days since the end of the festivities and I have found myself thinking about all that we went through to get to the big day and all that has happened since and one of the many things that sticks out is that our friends and family have been excessively generous.
You might wonder if I am trying to make excessive generosity sound like a problem and my answer is that I am not. It is the kind of problem we always should have.
The world would be a better place if we always complained about the excessive generosity of people but that is not a challenge we face, or if it is I am not aware of it.
What Is The Issue?
The issue is simple– I am trying to figure out how to make sure my children understand and appreciate what they have gotten. I am trying to make sure my son understands how very lucky he is and I am trying to figure out how to reciprocate.
That is why I am looking at the pictures. I am trying to spur some thoughts and ideas about the who, what, why and how here.
Some of you have blown me away with what you did and I am at a loss because I feel like maybe I could have or should have done more for you.
It is not a competition and I don’t see it as such.
No one twisted your arms. I know you well enough to know many things, but if you know me as well than you know what I am thinking.
And that is why I am really focusing on trying to make sure my kids have a proper appreciation for it all. Trying to make sure they understand how very lucky we all are because it seems to me the best response is to ensure that they do.
Because if I do that then I know when the time comes they will do the right thing and what more can I really ask for.
Giving without expectation of anything in return is a gift we give others, and ourselves. And receiving generosity with humility and gratitude is a gift we give back to those who give. A never-ending circle that I’ve worked to instil in my children and my life. Cheers! Kaarina
I like that circle, makes me smile.
Yes,excessive generosity isa good problem.
My children seem to appreciate generosity but not in the way I think they should or as regularly. Even if they don’t like something they are given, they still need to say thank you.
Hi Larry,
We have that conversation all the time. Say thank you and smile even if it is not something you want.