Gift Giving

This week of G's in the ABC's of Kindness has lead me to really think about Gift Giving.  I've always loved giving gifts.  So, I looked up the word "gift" on dictionary.com.  Here is what I found.

"something given  voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.

the act of giving.

something bestowed or acquired without any particular effort by the recipient or without its being earned: Those extra points he got in the game were a total gift.

a special ability or capacity; natural endowment; talent: the gift of saying the right thing at the right time."

It's an easy word to define, among words, yet the act of giving and/or receiving a gift is not always a simple type of act.  I do believe giving or receiving a gift is an act of kindness which can be filled with a certain grace.

This week I thought about, gave and received gifts.  I'll list gifts either given (to someone by me) or received (by me from someone else).  A game of Scrabble, a coffee shop gift card, two bouquets of flowers, coverage for time away from work, words of genuine thanks, words of genuine forgiveness, a shared ride in my car to a meeting away from work, several thoughtful, good phone chats with friends, a butterfly stepping stone around which I built a walkway in my yard, a treat for a dog, a smile, humor, listening ears, the sound of my purring cat, johnny jump ups, grape, strawberry and raspberry honey sticks, loading the dishwasher, compliments on a beautiful garden.  What gifts did you give or receive this week?