Receiving

Hubby bought a bouquet of flowers. Normally he hands them to me and I arrange them in the vase. This time he did the flower arranging himself, so when I came downstairs there they were on the mantelpiece.

My immediate reaction was a smile of pleasure. A brief thought flashed through my mind – a few years ago I would have been irritated. Why? Because of the way the flowers sat in the vase. Looking at them you’d instantly recognise that whoever had arranged flowers had no idea what they were doing. He’d literally shoved them in the vase.


It brought to mind the complaint a friend made a years ago that her husband tried to clean the inside of the oven. She hated it because he seemed to make more of a mess than clean it. Someone else added to the conversation by complaining that her husband had done the washing up and left water all over the place and the dishes were still dirty.

These were actions made by two people who were giving and instead of receiving appreciation in return were being given a slap in the chops. Both ladies were appalled at the suggestion that maybe they should be happy rather than unhappy. They both protested that it was impossible for someone to know they’d done it wrong unless you pointed it out to them. They didn’t seem to understand that you get so much more from people by encouraging them.

How often do we judge gifts we receive? When we receive with appreciation and gratitude we create more of the giving and receiving in a positive form. Does it matter that the flowers don’t look perfect, or the oven and dishes aren’t as clean as they could be? It’s the loving thoughtfulness that counts.

Old consciousness used berating people into action. This hasn’t worked for a long time now. The new energy is actually demanding that we acknowledge any deeds with pleasure and gratitude. Building others up instead of dragging them down is far better. Light them up so they can see rather than cover them in darkness so they’re blind.

Those flowers in the vase show me how much hubby appreciates and loves me, so I don’t care that the flowers look slightly bedraggled. I love them and my reaction proves how much I’ve grown up.

Receiving - to read comments on LW