The Five Best Gifts to Give Your Family

by: Deb Kay - Filed under: Celebrations, Family Add Comment

When we think of giving gifts, we usually think of things to buy for people. Yet if you think back on gifts you’ve been given, it might not be the material gifts you received that are foremost in your mind – it might be the kind of gifts that deeply touched your heart and soul. It might be various ways, other than material things, that people expressed their love to you.

There are five gifts of love that we can give to our families that can make a huge difference in their lives.

THE GIFT OF CARING AND COMPASSION

We all yearn to feel cared for, yet many of us withhold caring and compassion for others. A profound gift we can give to our loved ones is to listen with our heart, to understand and accept rather than to judge, and to stay open to learning rather than to protect against being hurt.

Think about the last time someone actually listened to you and gave you understanding and acceptance. The feeling of being understood and accepted with caring and compassion is one of the best feelings in the world. Instead of focusing on getting this from others, why not focus on giving it to others? You might be surprised at how wonderful you feel in giving this gift to your family.

THE GIFT OF COURAGE

One of the best gifts we can give our loved ones is our own courage. This means being having the courage to stand in our truth, to be honest about what we want and don’t want, what we will do and won’t do, what is and what is not acceptable to us. It means having the courage to take good care of ourselves, even if others don’t like it. It means not succumbing to our controlling behaviors that come from fear: anger, withdrawal, compliance, resistance, but instead being honest and above-board about ourselves. It means being willing to face conflict rather than give ourselves up to avoid it.

When we have the courage to face conflict and tell the truth, we not only provide our family with a role model for courage, but we provide opportunities for our loved ones to step up to the plate in the face of our truth and learn to be courageous too.

THE GIFT OF SERVICE

We are on this planet to learn to love ourselves and each other, and to help each other. One of the best gifts we can give our family is to role model this by doing service. Helping others fills the heart and soul in ways that nothing else can. If children do not see their parents doing service and helping others, they may never learn the great joy and fulfillment that comes from giving. One of the best gifts we can give to our family is to provide ways of doing service.

THE GIFT OF CREATIVITY

All of us are born with various ways of expressing our creativity. Expressing creativity is a profound way of connecting with Spirit, since expressed creativity is a direct expression of Spirit. Providing your family with many ways of expressing their creativity is a great gift. Creativity can be expressed in so many ways – cooking, crafts, building things, music, art, movement, telling stories, writing, humor, photography and video – the possibilities are endless! Creative family projects are especially wonderful in creating family closeness.

THE GIFT OF LIGHTNESS OF BEING

Lightness of being – fun, joy, laughter, playfulness – is a great gift to give to others. Lightness of being is infectious – our laughter and playfulness can help others take life less seriously and “lighten up.”

Lightness of being is one the results of all the other gifts – of caring, courage, service and creativity. When we give these gifts, we feel a wonderful lightness within, the lightness that is the result of fully giving from the heart. Our own lightness of being can bring lightness into our whole family. Children love it when their parents are playful, funloving and joyful. Laughing together as a family is one of the most precious experiences in life.

We need to focus of giving these gifts each day, not just during a holiday season or special occasions. These gifts are far more important than any material thing we can buy for someone. In fact, we might not be so focused on material gifts if we frequently give the gift of love – of caring, compassion, courage, service, creativity, and lightness of being.

Observances, Celebrations, or Events That Occur in the Month of May 2011.

by: Deb Kay - Filed under: Celebrations Add Comment

Observances, Celebrations, or Events That Occur in the Month of May 2011.

~ Do all of the deserve Gifts and Cards? Not all holidays are created equal, and what exactly is the purpose of these Observances, Celebrations, or Events? Giving gifts and cards in observance of these various holidays is not always necessary, but it can be a nice gesture and sometimes receiving a gift or card makes the day that much more special.

Here they are: MAY 2011

Patriots’ Day

May Day – May 1st.

Law Day – May 1st

Loyalty Day – May 1st

National Day of Prayer – May 3rd. (1st Thursday of the Month)

Cinco de Mayo – May 5th

Joining of Hands Day – May 5th

Teachers Day – May 8th, first full week in May.

Nurses Day – May 8th.

Peace Officers Memorial Day – May 15th.

National Defense Transportation Day – may 18th, (3rd Friday in May)

Armed Forces Day, May 21st. (3rd Saturday of May)

Victoria Day, May 23rd (The Monday before the 24th)

Shavou’ot – May 27th

Ascension Day – (This day varies with different religious beliefs)

Police Week – Week of May 15th

National Safe Boating Week – May 25th (7 day period ending on last Fri before Memorial Day)

National Transportation Week – Week of May 18th

Memorial Day May 30th

Steelmark Month

National Physical Fitness & Sports Month

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

Now, if you are anything like me, many of these special events sound foreign, and others although they sound familiar I have no idea what the purposes behind them were until researching them.

I’m writing this article to share that information with you. To help open the doors to information that may someday be important to you. And if not, just the opportunity to share some interesting information with some great people. Thanks for reading!

1. Patriots Day: Why it is celebrated in May, I am not exactly sure%u2026 Observed in the commonwealth of Massachusetts and Maine to Patriots’ Day is a civic holiday observed in the commonwealth of Massachusetts and Maine. It pays tribute to the American Revolutionary War, fought on April 19, 1775.

2. May Day: Occurring on May 1st marks various public holidays such as: International Workers’ Day or Labour Day, political demonstrations and celebrations organized by communists, anarchists, socialists, unionists, and other activist groups. In general however; it is considered an International Workers Day.

3. Law Day: is also celebrated on May 1st. Law Day is celebrated only in the United Sates. It is a celebration to show our loyalty to the United Sates and allows the people of the U.S. to rededicate their ideals, equality, and justice under law in relation to each other and other countries. On this day the government is to display our flag on all Government Buildings.

4. Loyalty Day: Also celebrated on May 1st. Loyalty day is very similar to Law Day, however it incorporates celebrating our Heritage as well.

5. National Day of Prayer: celebrated on May 3rd. I found it interesting that the President is actually the person to declare the National Day of Prayer. This day is celebrated on the first Thursday each May. This day is a day designated for the people of the United States turn to prayer and meditation either at church, in groups or as individuals.

6. Cinco de Mayo: celebrated on May 5th it celebrates the victorious battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862 and is a national holiday in Mexico, but also celebrated in the United States.

7. Joining Hands Day: Celebrated on the first Saturday of May, this is a day to make a difference throughout your community by joining in on helpful projects that help youths connect with adults. It is a great way to volunteer and connect adults and children. For example, having a group of children/teens visit a nursing home and share in a craft project.

8. National Teachers Day: Celebrated throughout the first full week in May, with an official day being the first Tuesday in May. This special day.

9. Nurses Day: Also a weeklong celebration with an official day being on May 8th. This much needed holiday begins on May 6th and ends on May 12th (Florence Nightingale’s Birthday). The holiday gives us the opportunity to recognize the outstanding contributions that our nurses make in our communities.

10. Mothers Day: This May 8th celebration is dear to all whom have ever known what it is like to have a loving mom. This day plainly stated is the national day to celebrate the woman around us who are either moms, will be moms, or have cared for a loved one as a mom.

11. Police Week: Celebrated the week of May 15th. This week is week to recognize our police officers. These men and women stand guard and protect the people of the United states. This is also a day that the flag is flown at halfstaff.

12. Peace Officers Memorial Day: May 15th is designated to honor the Federal, State and local officers kill or disabled in the line of duty. On this day the flag will be flown at halfstaff, state and local government operations will recognize this day with ceremonies and activities.

13. National Safe Boating Week: starts the week of May 25th and runs a seven day period ending on the last Friday before Memorial Day. It is just what it states.

14. Armed Forces Day: celebrated this year on May 21st, typically celebrated on the third Saturday of the May. This is a day to honor and take notice of our military forces in our great nation. This day is celebrated throughout the world.

15. National Maritime Day: May 22nd is a day to observe Maritime heritage and honor for the men and women who serve and have served in the marines.

16. Victoria Day: May 23rd is a Canadian holiday celebrated before Monday, May 24th (Queen Victoria’s Birthday). This holiday is usually recognized and celebrated with fireworks and is considered an unofficial beginning to summer. In Canada this holiday is when summer parks and businesses open.

17. National Transportation Week – begins the week of May 18th. This week will always include the third Friday of may. The people of the United States are invited to hold and attend ceremonies and events as a tribute to men and woman who move goods and people throughout the United States.

18. Shavou’ot – May 27th is the day of Shavou’ot. This is one of the Jewish holidays considered to be a High Holy Day. It is the Festival of Weeks, and is the second of three major festivals with a historical and agricultural significance. Historically, it is the celebration of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and agriculturally, it is the time when the first fruits were harvested and brought to the Temple, known as Hag ha-Bikkurim (the Festival of the First Fruits).

19. Steelmark Month: May is the month of SteelMark. This has been put into place to recognize the contribution made by the steel industry in the United States, National Security and Defense.

20. Ascension Day: This is a religious holiday, marked by the day Jesus ascended to Heaven 40 days after his resurrection on Easter Sunday. This day varies based on their religious beliefs.

21. Memorial Day: May 30th means a day off from work for most. However the meaning behind this symbolic day is a day we remember those men and woman whom have served and died for our country.

22. National Physical Fitness & Sports Month

23. Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

Now not all these special days that are celebrated throughout the United States and other countries are reason to run out and buy gifts and cards for people. Personally I’d be broke if I was to do that, but it is nice to recognize those around us who are touched by each one of these special occasions.

Sometimes all it takes is some words of kindness to recognize the occasion and to help make a person feel special, loved or even just liked.

About the Author: “Luvon Tetreault is a Gift Basket Consultant, and maintains a website about Gifts and Cards http://www.gifts-and-cards.com