The Gifts of Giving
I just came across a recording of a speech I gave at a holiday party several years ago. And it just warmed my heart and I wanted to share it with you all today… Sending love and warmth this Holiday Season…
A few years ago I put on my high heels and red lipstick to go to a fancy holiday party at a beautiful home in Northern California.
However, it wasn't any normal holiday party. It was a Toastmasters party, a public speaking group that I had been a part of that year. Three people were prepared to give a speech that night, and I was one of them. After much practicing in the backfield of my home, I felt ready. I was excited as I put on my jewelry and curled my hair, I reflected back on how much I had grown that year.
I remembered standing terrified, looking out at the audience. At a podium in front of 30 or 40 people, the first time I stood up to speak in front of this group, despite the fear of that first moment, I knew I was ready to grow, ready to face the fear, and over that year I really did. Public speaking has become more and more familiar, and through putting myself on center stage, I learned so much about the craft of captivating an audience.
I realized that there was a girl inside of me that was ready to be seen, to be heard, to really stand up and share her voice. I was encouraged every step of the way by this amazing group of people of all ages and all walks of life. I delivered this speech, which is called The Gifts of Giving, um, at the party that night, and I was on a total high.
I didn't realize at the time that my husband had recorded the whole thing on my phone as a voice memo, so I'm able to share it with you today. I realized this magical story of giving and receiving could be inspiring for you to break free from scarcity and believe in the beauty, magic, and abundance all around you.
So here I am sharing it. It's just eight minutes long. I hope you're able to take some time to tune in. Listen, enjoy.
With Love,
Meredith
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Transcription:
This is nice having this big audience. I like this. Over, over the years as a yoga and meditation practitioner, Meredith Rom has cultivated a strong connection to her internal guidance. She believes when we are able to make decisions from this ground of place within ourselves. We will consistently be met with more joy, abundance, and synchronicity.
Today, Meredith will be sharing her speech, the gifts of giving to remind us all to listen to our internal guidance and live each day. From a place of generosity, please welcome Meredith Rome.
Have you ever seen something that you really wanted but then told yourself, oh, I can never have that. This happened to my friend recently. We were walking down the street in downtown Sebastopol, and she stopped to look at this beautiful deity, this statue that was wood carved. It was Quan Yin, the goddess of compassion, and as she looked at it, there was.
Such appreciation. I could tell she was deeply touched by this statue, but as she looked at it, I noticed there was also as if she was saying, this is so beautiful and I can never have this. Now. I didn't think very much of it in the moment until weeks later I went to the festival Burning Man. And Burning Man is all about this gifting economy and everyone is encouraged to bring more than enough so that you can give and receive an abundance.
And by the end of the week, I just felt, I haven't worried about money all week. I was in such a place of flow and generosity. It felt wonderful. How can I maintain this feeling when I go back home? I was sitting in my tent on the last day meditating, and this image came to my mind. There's me, Karen, my friend, and Ian, and I started asking myself, what does this have to show me?
Am I supposed to buy this big statue for myself? And I imagine putting it in my home, and Karen coming over and seeing it, and I thought. That doesn't feel very good. But then I had the thought, what if I gifted this to my friend Karen? And immediately I felt scared. I could never do that. That's crazy. But I felt a little bit of curiosity, a little bit of excitement.
And what I've learned is that when I have fear, but a little bit of a curiosity or excitement. I'm being presented with an opportunity to grow. The next week, I was walking down the street. I walked by the same store and there was the statue. I decided to go inside just to see, learn a little more about it.
I said, could I see all of your ion statues? And she starts pulling them out from all different corners of the shop and placing them on the counter. Some were small, some were bigger, some are more medium. And I am looking at them all and I think, well, maybe I can just get the small one less than a hundred dollars.
That's a very generous gift, and I'm looking at it, and then I see the one that my friend was so connected to this huge statue, and I felt the magnitude of its presence. And I knew I had to buy that one. And so I did, and I brought it home and I hid it in my closet and I was so excited waiting for this moment of giving it to my friend and by the Karen over, and we were talking about what we've been learning in our lives and sat her down at my altar and I said, Karen, I've really been seeing.
How much inner work you're doing, how much you're changing on the inside. And through that, I feel like your environment is changing around you. And I have this gift for you, and I don't want you to think too much of it, or even it coming from me directly, but think of it as this gift from your higher self, something that you've called in.
Um. And she was all excited and I said, close your eyes. And she held out her hands thinking that you do give her a little crystal and necklace. And I went into my closet and I picked up this egg statue. I come walking over and I place it right in front of her and I say, okay, open your eyes. She opened her eyes and just flew back immediately.
Her hands were on her heart and her eyes grew big, and she looked at me and I looked at her and I felt my heart expand the size of the room. And as I looked at her face, I could tell that she had never received a gift like this before. And I had never let myself give a gift like this before, and it felt so good to throw away all those old stories and to think what is or isn't possible in my life.
To just go out that window, and we held each other's hands and we looked at each other in disbelief that this is really happening.
So the next morning she wrapped up the statue and she brought it home. But the story doesn't end here. An hour later, I hear a sound outside my door, Meow. Yeah, I open the door and in walks this cat, it's white and gray and fluffy, and she walks right up into my bedroom and sits in my bed and looks at me.
Yeah. And I go over to pet her and I pick her up and she's so soft and she this white gray and, and she looks at me, their eyes and they're bright green. I'm holding her and thinking. I have always wanted a cat, so I did everything I could to find her owner that week and even left the door open so she could go in and out in case she were to find her owners and she never, she decided to stay. And so I named her Quan Yin, and every time I look at her, this cat who has brought so much joy to my life, I remember this story and the lesson that I learned about giving and receiving this holiday.
I hope you all have the opportunity to truly give and receive. And don't be surprised if a miracle. Or a cat shows up on your doorstep.
