Giving.

There lies behind this painting a story. This is an early painting that I did on a canvas and I have a friends who own some of my paintings already and I have told these friends that I would like them to have this one but because of some restrictions in getting art into the country without much expense on their part I still have the canvas in a safe place.  This may look like the same painting but it is not it is a version of it done on my Ipad and so it can go anywhere in the world in a digital format, like so many of my recent paintings, at no cost. All I need is an email address to make it possible.

While completing this and me thinking about giving it to friends there was much bustle out in the street as Santa went around on the back of a lorry, his reindeer must have been tired. A knock came to the door and there were young people with collecting cans gathering for charity. My first reaction was to go to my Buddha purse and empty the contents into the tin. My Buddha purse is a little leather pouch I have with a wooden Buddha head on the cords which I use for all my loose change.

At the last moment, I thought again and reached for my wallet where I carry my notes and though I have been saving very hard to cover the outlay of my new IPad I reached in and placed a note into the can and not the change.

This reminded me of the tale of the little girl.

A mother wanted to teach her daughter a moral lesson. She gave the little girl a fifty pence and a £1 coin for the church.

"Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and keep the other for yourself," she told the girl.

When they were coming out of the church, the mother asked her daughter which amount she had given. "Well," said the little girl, "I was going to give the pound, but just before the collection, the man in the pulpit said that we should all be cheerful givers. I knew I'd be a lot more cheerful if I gave the fifty pence, so I did."

There is much said about giving at this time of year C.S. Lewis said this, "I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. "

To finish I quote one of my ancient heroes who said, "Where your pleasure is, there is your treasure; where your treasure is, there is your heart; where your heart is, there is your happiness.

Have a marvellous day and just a thought on the other side of giving is receiving and there is much to be said about being a good receiver.