The Besl Gifts lo Give Your FomilyWhen wO think of giving gifts, we usucllythink of things to buy. Yet think bock of thebest gifts you've been given. They might belhe kind of gifts thot deepiy touched yourheort ond soul. lt is the gifts of love thot wecon give to our fomilies thot con moke ohuge difference in their lives.

THE GIFT OF CARING AND COMPASSION

We ollyeorn to be cored for, yet mony of uswithhold coring ond compossion for others.A profound gift we con give to our lovedones is to listen with our heort, io understondond occept rother thon to judge.

Think obout the lost time someone octuollylistened to you ond gove youunderstonding ond occeptonce. Thefeeling of being understood ond occeptedwith coring ond compcssion is one of thebest feelings in the world. Insteod offocusing on getiing this from others, why nolfocus on giving it to others?

THE GIFT OF COURAGE

This meons hoving the couroge to be honestobout whot we wont ond don't wont, whqtis ond whot is not occeptoble. lf meons notsuccumbing to behoviours thot come fromfeor, onger, withdrowol, complionce,resistonce, but insfeod being honest oboutourselves.

When we hove the courqge to foce conflict<rnd tell the trulh, we not onty prbvide ourfomily wiih q role model for couroge, butwe provide opportunities for our loved onesto step up to the plote in the foce of ourtruth ondleorn to be courogeous too.

THE GIFT OF SERVICE

We ore creqted to leorn lo love ourselvesond eoch other, ond-to help eoch other.

Helping others fills the heort ond soul in woysthot nothing else con. lf children do not seetheir porents doing service ond helping

othen, they moy never leorn the greot joyond fulfilment thot comes from giving. Oneof the best gifts we con give to our fomily isto provide exomples of doing service.

IHE GIFT OF CREATIVITY

All of us ore born wiih vorious woys ofexpressing creotivity. Expressing creotivity iso profound woy of connecting with theSpirit, since expressed creotivity is o directexpression of the Spirit. Creotivity con beexpressed in so mony woys - cooking, crofts,building ihings, music, ort, movement, tellingstories, writing, humour, photogrophy ondvideo - the possibilities ore endless! Creotivefomily proiects ore especiolly wonderful increoting fomily closeness.

THE GIFT OF IIGHTNESS OF BEING

Lightness of being - fun, joy, loughter,ployfulness - is o greot gift to give io others.When we give the gifts of coring. couroge,service ond creotivity, we feel o wonderfullightness within thot is the result of fully givingfrom the heort. Children love it when theirporents ore ployful, fun loving ond joyful.Loughing together os <r fomif is one of themosi precious experiences in life.

We need to focus on gMng these gifts eochdoy, not just of Christmos. These gifts ore formore importont thon ony mqteriol thing wecon buy. Adopted from on oricle by MorgoretPoul. Ph.D. ovoiloble on www.fomilycomer.com

iuru fwebsife tol-Kumrnissloni fumi$o No)o(or Ghofos hcr\ivh biex trrnrr fit-eogro r e-rnc*t fomisfknkbn@grnoif.corrr