Last Week's Value: Abundance

I love the value of abundance. It is by far one of my favorites, and one that gets overlooked in our lives. Alex loves this one too, because it is so rewarding. Abundance is the idea that the more of something you give out, the more of it you get back. Or as I really like to think, love multiplies the more it is used so you should not hesitate to give it to everyone--it will all come back to you in multiples. We use the example of love, but also of smiles, hugs, kisses, kindness...and of course the opposite. If you give out a frown, you will most likely get one back. The kids love to experiment with abundance. We smile at people and see what happens. We say good morning to people frowning in the grocery store and see what happens. There is no way that two toddlers smiling and saying good morning is going to get anything back but friendliness, so this value works every time!

Last week we purchased gifts for the family we have adopted this Christmas at a the New Haven Home Recovery, a home for homeless women with children. I love this organization because their point is to temporarily support these families while they get back on their feet--and it seems many (most even?) do get back on their feet. I like to support something where I can see that my effort sustained a family, just long enough to get them to safety, where they can go off again on their own.

So, we bought some things that the family needed--basics like a warm coat, hat and mittens for the child, a few toys, a stocking full of small toys and clothes, and some things for the Mom. Both of my kids completely understood what we were doing. They were having so much fun picking out clothes for the family, that they wanted to buy everything. At one point, Alex fell in love with a toy we picked up for the child and wanted to keep it. I reminded him that Christmas was coming and that we needed to think with abundance, so if we give and give to this family, most likely Santa will give to us too. Fortunately, we had been studying abundance. Abundance is one of those selfish values--you do good to get good.

The kids were so good about picking out these gifts that I could not resist letting them pick out something very small for themselves. It was fun. Giving is truly more beneficial to the giver than the receiver. If you are studying values with your kids, don't forget abundance!