Generosity

Generosity is normally defined by society as being liberal with your giving.  A definition I found on Dictionary.com has become a favorite:  freedom from meanness or smallness of mind or character.  There should be at no time, where any human is mean to another human being.  We are all created by the same Creator, in His likeness, and should be treated as such.

It is being free from meanness and smallness of mind or character that we are enabled to freely give.  I remember growing up, how my Grandfather use to always say, "Think about somebody else besides yourself."  He instilled in us how important it was to always share what you had.  No matter how small.  Earlier this year I wrote a post on him giving me $5 to feed over 20 people and how I was able to do it.  More on this story can be found here.

We are also free to give words of encouragement .  It is something everyone could use.  Especially those transitioning from one lifestyle to another.  Transition of any form is never easy. It is when we are at one of the most vulnerable moments in our lives.  There will be people who will be our cheerleaders, and those who will be our opposition.  When we encounter those who oppose our better life, we should be generous enough to tell them thank you.  We can use every negative dart as a tool to catapult us to our next level sooner than expected.  For those who are in our corner, we should never forget to say thank you.  Because of them, we are able to keep our heads held high and march forward.   

We must always remember to choose to be generous in our giving, be it money, words, or deed(s).  When we do, it must be done with a cheerful heart.  The only way to do it with a cheerful heart, is to be free of meanness or smallness of mind or character.

Much love,
Granny

Encouragement

Photo courtesy of Google Images

There is never a bad time to give or receive encouragement.  It is the state of being in a place where someone or something gives you hope.  It reminds me of faith (state of hoping for something that has not manifested yet).  Before my Grandfather passed, I was in his bedroom talking to him one day.  We were talking about things that happened in our lives and things that were going on in our lives at the time.  At some point during the conversation, he said, "My life was hard, but it was good."

Granddaddy only had a third grade education.  He came up in a time when children were taking from school to work to help support the family.  As we were conversing one day, he inquired about my classes.  I was in Junior College at the time and I told him how rough it was especially while having to work a full-time job at the same time.  He gave me so many words of encouragement that night, I just couldn't post them all.  The one thing that stood out to me was the summation of his life.  It has become one of my famous quotes during one of my motivational engagements:
 "Man is only as strong as his faith.  The more it is exercised, the stronger he becomes."  ~ Elegant Granny

During my Grandfathers life, he had to endure so many things to overcome not only to help himself, but to assist his family members to have a better life.  As the patriarch in the family, there was always a word of encouragement coming from this man.  He also encouraged us to do the same with each other, and others we come into contact with.

My Grandfather never saw me graduate from college, but there was a surety within him that said I was going to make it.  Today, I am working on my MBA, and still working full-time (plus up to 32hrs of overtime during the week).  I am also working on publishing other work besides my three blogs.  I am so grateful to God for the times we shared.  Those words he gave me were always the best pick me up I needed.

Encouragement is one of the greatest gifts you can give.  My gift to you, is to always believe you're going to make it no matter how hard it becomes.  Whenever you feel as if you won't, remember why you started on your journey in the first place.  Once you realize how far you've come, you won't want to turn around.

Much love,
Granny