My mother taught me how to give gifts.

My mother taught me how to give gifts. 

She loved to search for perfect gifts for everyone in our family, especially on holidays. I really believe that she felt as much joy giving a gift as did the person who received it. Her smile literally lit up the whole room as each opened the perfectly wrapped boxes, feeling the love of a matriarch for her generations. 

The generosity that flowed in those spaces stamped its signature into the hearts of everyone present, filled us with light, just like the warmth of the Hanukkah candles, the lights of a Christmas tree, all of the fires that all of humanity has lit for generations, in this darkest time of the year. 

Yet somehow, this season of gifting has become such a source of stress

rather than an opportunity to remember

that giving and receiving gifts

is a practice of gratitude

an opportunity to remember reciprocity. 

A gift is an offering

a messenger

reminding us of the power of generosity

reminding us of the lines of relation that build and sustain our lives

and the need to feed those relations

in order to maintain the system of lines

to maintain the web of life

that holds us all. 

May we always be able to recognize

and give thanks

for the constant movement of giving and receiving 

that nourishes our existence.