The Gift that Keeps on Giving: The Ripple Effect
When we acknowledge our unique place in the world,
We have the opportunity to set off a ripple effect
That emerges and sets sail in directions we cannot anticipate.
-The Miracle Collectors
As 2025 comes to a close with daily reminders of the darkness in the world, it is incumbent upon all of us to let our own light shine bright. Each of us, in ways we may not even realize, has the opportunity to be the gift that keeps on giving to others. As Katie writes about this month, we never know how far the light we spread can reach or how far the ripples will go. Wishing you peace, health, and light during this holiday season.
Collecting Miracle Moments One Story at a Time.
Joan and Katie
I saved an article from a few years ago about a woman who decided to celebrate her 80th birthday by giving $80 to 80 friends and family members. With the exception of two that had to be mailed, she thought it was very important to give her envelopes in person and she had one stipulation: that each recipient give away their $80 to whomever they thought most needed it, and then send her back the enclosed stamped, self-addressed postcard to let her know what happened. The joy was sprinkled all around – an oversized tip given to the single mom, the recognition bestowed on the 12-year-old boy hired to help with a neighbor’s yard work, the 52 pairs of socks purchased for a homeless shelter, and the singling out of a parking attendant with a great attitude. The responses emphasized the happiness each person experienced in the giving, and the connections created when each giver in turn explained to their recipients about the 80th birthday celebration.
At Christmastime, this story is a perfect reminder of the joy of giving, but even more so it’s about the way our actions can set off ripples in countless ways. Mother Teresa said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.” The birthday “girl” had a unique perspective we will never know, because we don’t get postcards in the mail telling us how our actions made someone’s day, or maybe even changed someone’s life. Even without acknowledgement, it is certain that all of us have impacted others in kind and surprising ways, who in turn have impacted others, and so on.
My favorite old Christmas movie is It’s a Wonderful Life, the story of an ordinary man George Bailey, living in a drafty old house with too many kids, and whose dreams are continually quashed by the vagaries of life. He is barely able to make ends meet while keeping the town’s only Savings and Loan afloat so his fellow citizens can enjoy some semblance of the American dream, like owning a home. He reminds me of Sisyphus who keeps pushing the heavy rock up the hill and just as he is about to crest the summit, the boulder pushes him back down to the bottom again. The town’s wealthy bully eventually gets the better of him by stealing his money, and our hero, Mr. Ordinary Man, despairs. Fortunately, he is saved by a wayward angel named Clarence, who shows him what would have happened if he had never been born. And while nothing much changes in his existence afterwards – the drafty old house, the striving to make ends meet – George is a changed man, having been shown his worth and the love and friendship that surrounds him.
What if you had never been born? Each of us touches others in ways we cannot always define or understand: the friends you have made and comforted, the children you have reared and loved, the student you tutored, or the meals that you served at the soup kitchen. Give yourself the gift of answering that question, and know that the ripples continue as they reach for unknown shores. (Katie)