Sacred Gifts

 "Spin Your Story" by Amanda Oaks is a book that gives 200 creative writing prompts - my goal is to write about each one before 2013.


Today:  "What are your sacred gifts?"


I believe that I have been blessed tremendously in my life by way of tragedy and bad circumstances.  Sure, I have had a lot of great things happen in my life, however, I feel that my sacred gifts were developed through the pain and the heartache that I have endured.  


I guess in order to really answer this question fully, it would be important to explain what I think sacred gifts are.  As gifts go, I believe there are physical gifts, emotional gifts, and spiritual gifts.  I had not thought about sacred gifts until this question was posed, and I think I kind of like it.  Sacred to me holds an heir of deep meaning, of a quality so intrinsic and connected that it must be revered with much respect.  Those qualities within ourselves are what make our personalities contagious, its the immeasurable energy that each of us carries and most often fail to acknowledge.  Sacred gifts are those we have been given that keep us glued together, and allows us to touch other lives.


I honor the gifts within myself tonight by discovering what these gifts are and enjoying the fact that they hold great purpose in my life, I also grieve the fact that I have not noticed them or been grateful for them sooner.


In my heart, I find compassion, intelligence, child like faith, empathy, and unconditional love.  I have an ability to meet people where they are at, which is demonstrated by my love for children and the elderly - among other things.  Both groups hold such a life giving quality, children with their innocence and lack of corruption, and the elderly with their incredible life experiences and wisdom that only the years can teach.  Some people say that my compassion is a fault because it opens me up to being hurt, and I respond with the same answer - I would rather love and get hurt, than not love at all.  I don't think it needs to be black and white though.  I believe that I can love on people, care for people, and put myself in their shoes without being reckless.  Two of the qualities, intelligence and child like faith, seem to contradict each other when first approached.  I believe that I have been given a gift of understanding and integrating information in order to make my life more rich and abundant; I also believe that faith is killed only by skepticism.  I am intelligent AND I believe in a God who can do far more than I can ever ask or imagine.  


I would not be who I am today if I had not been given these gifts and been allowed ample time and experience to develop them.   My sacred gifts are what put me to bed at night, and what get me going in the morning, they are what bridges the gap between myself and the rest of the world.  My sacred gifts are what hold my inner self together, and also what reaches out to connect with the world.


What about you?  What are your Sacred Gifts?  Leave a note if you would like, I would love to hear about your gifts.  


<3 Haley