I have a relationship with the bees who live or visit my garden. I plant flowers to provide nectar throughout the season, and in return they pollinate my fruits and vegetables. I avoid using pesticides around my house, and in return the bees bring their friends and family. We are connected through reciprocity and interdependence. -Michael Tino (CLF)
What non-human beings do you have a relationship with?
Generosity unmasks the many kinds of abundance in our midst. While many of us do not have an abundance of material possessions, we are asked to give from what abundance we have. Perhaps you have an abundance of love, or compassion, or kindness. Perhaps you have an abundance of time, or listening, or passion to create justice.
What kinds of abundance are present in your life?
“Gratitude and reciprocity are the currency of a gift economy, and they have the remarkable property of multiplying with every exchange, their energy concentrating as they pass from hand to hand, a truly renewable resource. I accept the gift from the bush and then spread that gift with a dish of berries to my neighbor, who makes a pie to share with his friend, who feels so wealthy in food and friendship that he volunteers at the food pantry. You know how it goes.” -Robin Wall Kimmerer, from her article “The Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance,” in Emergence Magazine
How might you pass along the gift of gratitude today?
Generosity is something we can embody anytime. The spirit of generosity is not limited to material or financial ways of sharing. It is also in how we show up and offer grace, love and care to others in our everyday lives. -Aisha Hauser (CLF)
How do you embody generosity?
“Our generosity connects us to one another in relationships of interdependence and mutuality.” –from the proposed new language for Article 2 of the UUA By-Laws
How has generosity connected you to others in beneficial ways?
