The gift of being present
Wow! Covid-19, pandemic, isolation, connecting, reconnecting. A rough journey that everyone is taking with no escape. It is a journey that might shed a different light on life if we are willing to see it differently, from a different angle, with a new mindset.
In preparation for the talk last week about "Letting your gifts lead," I embarked on a remembrance journey. What does a gift mean to me? What is meaningful to share? Why is it important to me?
It was inevitable not to think of relationships: the chance to relate with others as a gift; the chance to connect to myself as a gif; the chance to connect to God as a gift. I went to think of meaningful gifts I have received and given in life, and here is what I found:
Meaningful gifts (given or received) are:
Appreciated - "who gives" or "what is given" has something special about it. I appreciate. I care.
Unique - perhaps it was how, where or when that made the experience wonderfully unique. Maybe the thinking and thoughtful process were personal and memorable. It is so beautifully distinct!
Purposeful - the gift is something I want to use and share with the world. It generates action. What am I going to do about it?
A gift is something you receive or something you give. From God, from yourself, from others. It involves relationships. It is active, purposeful, and meaningful.
During the presentation, I realized how much we long to connect with others and seek a deeper meaning for our contribution to the world. Learning more about yourself and others, and embracing other's perspectives is a great way to get clarity on the impact that nurturing a relationship can bring.
Even more beautiful is the expansive awareness that, indeed, we are at the beginning of our journey in learning and understanding. We are learning how dependable we are. We are not self-sufficient. On the contrary, we are given every minute of our life the opportunity to continue learning new things from people we already know and meet new people and learn even more from them.
As my journey into deeper understanding continues, I reconnected with my self from the past by reading the collective thoughts captured in my journals. I opened a page from about a year ago and read a wonderful reminder that fits so well today:
Present = Presente (in Portuguese) = Gift
The language, the meaning, reminds us that our presence in the present moment is a gift to ourselves and others. No matter language, no matter culture, no matter ethnicity, no matter social class. We all need each other. We all need relationships. Enjoying the present moment is the best gift we have today and perhaps the most accessible one that we can have at any time of life.
“And right now, in this very moment, I have just heard from one of my daughters, when I asked her if being present is a gift, she said: “It is a present from Mama” and hugs!”
I am very grateful to exercise being intentionally fully present every moment (it is difficult to keep the focus but worthwhile being intentional anyway), with my family, clients, friends, and new people I meet. It is, for me, a beautiful reminder of Christ's loving sacrifice for us, the ultimate gift.
The pandemic and its consequences have made us experiment with different ways of living, interacting, and appreciating ordinary things in life.
““And you, whom do you choose to gift with your presence Today?””
With love and gratitude,
