To Give or to get?

Yesterday during Disciple Town I taught about the importance of giving -- abundantly, yet without compulsion. Last weekend was all about that -- giving and getting. I had planned to spend last Saturday cleaning house, getting it spruced up for a birthday party the next day. Instead, I went to my aunt's house. She had been sorting through the remnants of a life lived abundantly. Jewelry, dishes, artwork -- beautiful scraps of life. She wished to share what remained of Grandmother's treasures. I went, hoping for a keepsake. A memory in the form of gold or porcelain. I came away with a trove of treasures. An opal ring she always wore. White ceramic pitchers perched atop her hutch. (They're now perched on mine.) A bronze lamp that needed a resting spot. A jewelry chest. Things. Then there was the birthday party. Lots of things for my daughter. Parakeet. Books. Purse and watch and scarf combo. Miniature horse and barn playset. Things. Gifts. Life being given abundantly.