By Tara Leiker
Birthdays are always a time I struggle when our funds are low because I really enjoy giving. Though, when I think about what I like to receive, it is more the attention and care that someone puts into the gift that really touches my heart. I can get concerned though when I am the one giving that the person receiving has different feelings about gifts and what they should be. I have learned that even if they have stronger feelings and expectations around what they receive from someone’s heart-felt, thoughtfulness, then the conflict should lie within them, rather than me. |
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Tomorrow is my really good friend’s birthday, and I want to be able to give her more than a card. I do have some random gifts that I collect throughout the year. If there is something that I really like and find special that I can find at a wonderful cost, then I usually buy a few so I have something for a friend in case I need it.
Most recently, I have done this with gratitude journals. I found these really pretty, well-made, awesome small gratitude journals on Amazon one day and ordered one. |
I have to do some searching since we have recently moved a bunch of things in our house around to see if I can find the perfect gift to give to my friend tomorrow. If I can’t find a journal for her, maybe I have a bracelet, can give her a pair of earrings from a set I made a long time ago, or I know for sure I have some homemade lotion I crafted for this purpose too that I could attach something else to.
I used to freak out thinking about not having enough money to get something great for a friend or feeling like I’d be the one to give less, but I have come to a place in my own heart, that giving from my heart alone is one of the best gifts I can give. I just need to focus on the person I’m giving to when thinking about what the gift should be.
Recently diagnosed with a chronic condition that has turned her life upside down, Tara Leiker, a mother to 6, has had to learn how to make the best of a difficult situation. Tara, a Professional Counselor by trade, had to let go of her job as a Program Manager helping children with autism a few months ago, losing 60% of the family’s income. She is now on a quest to discover new ways to help her family survive and make ends meet. One of the ways she now spends her time is re-engaging her skills and interests as a curriculum developer, writer, and blogger.
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