Are you generous?

This time of year people seem to be looking inside and examining who they are. One of the questions that pops into my mind is are you generous?

In the small town I live in there are always beggars standing on a particular corner in the area of our local Wal-Mart store. It gets the most traffic of any corner in town. People wave all kinds of creative signs as cars drive by. Franky, I pretty much ignore them, not truly believing they need help. There are people who earn more begging on a corner than those sitting behind a desk working all day. There are also places in town that offer help to those who need assistance.

Following my intuition, I did stop to help a woman one day. She had no visible means of transportation. I told her I would not give her money, but I would purchase groceries for her. She accepted my offer. We went back to the store and I allowed her to pick out whatever she thought she needed. After paying the bill I took her to a local motel where she and her family were staying. On the way we exchanged basic information and I learned her husband was out of work. It just so happened that I was in desperate need of finding someone to cheaply clear the dried grass in the back of my property. I made arrangements for the woman's husband to do the job the next day. As it turned out he was an honest fast worker who did an excellent job for a reasonable amount of money. My intuition paid off in this situation.

I have often shared the story of the very cold winter morning I was walking in the park. I encountered a young man sitting alone on a park bench with a backpack. I thought this was a bit odd as this particular morning was Christmas. As I was preparing to leave I just couldn't get the man out of my mind. I stopped by an Allsups store and purchased a cup of cappuccino and a pastry and returned to the park bench. Handing my purchase to the man I said, "merry Christmas". He thanked me and returned my greeting.

That experience took place because of a story I remembered  hearing that had stayed in my mind. A minister wanting to make a lasting impression on his congregation, dressed in rags and situated himself in front of his church one Sunday morning. The parishioners, dressed in their finest walked right past him, without giving him notice on their way into the church. When it was time for the service to start the minister still dressed in his rags walked up the aisle and addressed his congregation from behind the pulpit. No other words are necessary from me.

I just really think that generosity comes from the heart and we should always listen to our intuition, the voice of our universal guide. It doesn't always take money. Often just letting others know that we care is more than enough.