Giving is Receiving

One of the most meaningful activities I've been involved with in the past few years has been volunteering. I volunteer as a Group Leader with the Distance Healing Network (http://the-dhn.com), I give Reiki healings twice a month to people dealing with cancer at a local cancer support center The Gathering Place (http://touchedbycancer.org), and for a year I was with The Cleveland Clinic weekly, giving Reiki to patients, staff, and visitors.


The reasons I started volunteering were many. I wanted to get more experience with Reiki and help those who want it. I wanted to balance my professional Reiki practice with offering energy to those who couldn't pay. And I wanted to also just have more opportunities to use this powerful gift to make the world better.


Usually, volunteering is about giving. Giving to others, offering your time, etc. But I found out that it's also about receiving. Here are some of the gifts I received as a result of volunteering: Watching people who were suffering from anxiety relax and smileHearing people tell me that their pain went from a "10" to a "1"Hugs and thank you - more times than I could countInspiring many of my students to volunteer alsoSetting an example for my children, who are proud of meKnowing that I'm doing something worthwhile, meaningful and powerful with my lifeIncreased confidence that Reiki is there, every timeSo, as it happens, the act of volunteering has given gifts to me also - equally if not even more than any effort on my part.And so I am grateful for the gifts, and for the opportunity to share what I've learned with you also.May we receive and acknowledge many gifts this season, and all year long.

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