Transference

  Christmas is a time to exchange gifts. That is what we hear quite often but that wasn't the original intent. For Christians it was God giving us the gift of his son. A man on earth that could relate directly to us mere mortals. Made in the image of God we are not flawed in any way, we are his perfect creation. Except, in that creation free will was part of the programming. You might call that, artificial intelligence. It has had unintended consequences, at least at one time requiring a do-over of sorts. All people except for a chosen few were wiped off the planet. Still, free will remained and has continued to be used in unexpected, unintended fashion. We were given a gift but have failed to recognize the significance of that gift. Nothing was asked in return for that gift, there was no exchange. 

  I was thinking about gifts this morning and this practice of exchanging them. I thought that many times we do not recognize the gift at the time we receive it, sometimes it takes years to see that. That happens when what you are trying to give to someone is sentiment not a physical object. It's the thought that counts expresses that thought. We hear that and think, that just means they didn't spend a lot of money on the gift. I suppose that is true to a degree, especially I think when we are younger. With age, hopefully comes a measure of wisdom, of understanding. That requires a distancing from yourself. The gift isn't about getting what you want, it is about intent. 

 How much thought did the person giving you that gift put into that? When someone puts a great deal of thought into that they are trying to give you a piece of themselves, or a piece of sentiment for you to hold as treasure. The everyday things, the gifts we exchange that hold little meaning are appreciated, it's the thought that counts, but how long will they remain with you? I do not have a single Christmas gift from my childhood or early adulthood. The gifts that satisfied the moment. Among those gifts I'm certain where those that were given with quite the opposite intent. If there is a fault in that, it is in my failure to recognize that sentiment. It is also the sentiment I hoped for when giving them a gift. Isn't that the the joy we wish to bring them? That is the intent. But we humans tend to want immediate gratification, instant happiness. We sometimes fail to see what is right before our eyes. 

 And that's the thing about gifts and gift giving. They should not require an explanation. But that explanation holds the sentiment you wish to express, to impart to the one you have chosen to receive that gift. You are attempting to give that person the thought. When you have to explain the significance of the gift the significance is often lost on the one receiving that gift. What you are trying to do is create a transference of sentiment. That is quite the difficult task in my opinion. It does fall within the confines of one mans trash is another mans treasure. It's the thought that counts. A true gift isn't getting what you want, but in getting something you may not know you need. The trick, if there is one, is in accepting that gift. That is what gratitude is all about. Gratitude draws the mind into closer touch with the source from which the blessings come( Wallace D Wattles) A gift requires no exchange, only gratitude.

                                                                                  

                                                       This is a card my father made for his grandmother

                                                        about 1930 or so. She held onto that until her death in 1956.

                                                        It was a gift and she was grateful for it. Is it thought or                                                                                sentiment?