  Spiritual
This week: Edited by: SophyBells  
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Hi, I'm SophyBells ~ your editor for this edition of the Spiritual Newsletter. During this holiday season we'll talk about giving gifts.
The Rev. Scotty McLennan, author of the book Finding Your Religion, compares humanity's innate need for spiritual searching to climbing a mountain. In his view, we are all endeavoring to climb the same figurative mountain in our search for the divine, we just may take different ways to get there. In other words, there is one "God," but many paths. I honor whatever path or paths you have chosen to climb that mountain in your quest for the Sacred. 
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Give a Gift that Keeps on Giving
It's that time of year again -- the time for giving and receiving presents. Whether you are religious or not, whether you celebrate Solstice, Christmas, Kwaanza, or Hanukkah, it's very likely that sometime this month you will give or receive presents.
I don't know about you, but that endeavor (giving gifts to others) gets harder for me every year. Not only is it difficult to know what the perfect gift might be for my loved ones and them for me, so we end up giving and receiving things we don't really need, the current state of the economy makes it even more of a challenge this year. People are losing their jobs and cutting back on spending, prices are up, and it just doesn't seem right to spend a lot of money on gifts that many of us don't really need in the first place. But what can we do as an alternative to show our love to our families and friends?
Several years ago when my husband and I were experiencing financial difficulty, instead of sending gifts we couldn't afford to our families, we wrote them each a letter or poem printed on special paper. In our letters we wrote about how much we loved them, what was special about our relationship with them, or we shared a special memory that meant a lot to us -- those sorts of things (the kind of things we don't typically say to one another). I know that for many in my family those were among the most cherished gifts they received from me throughout the years. Some were sentimental, some were funny, all were appreciated because we took the time and effort to put, into words, what the gift of our relationship meant to us.
Since WDC IS a writing site, after all, and because this is the Spiritual Newsletter -- I share the idea with you all as a possible alternative to the usual gift giving game we often find ourselves participating in this time of year. What mother wouldn't love a framed poem about your love for her, over a new pair of slippers or a bottle of perfume? And what father wouldn't swell with pride about a letter letting him know how much he's meant to you, over a tie or a sports DVD? And isn't that sort of giving more in line with the spirit of the holiday season, no matter which holiday you observe?
Or how about some alternative gift giving, also in the spirit of the season. Perhaps you have some income to spend on gifts this year -- rather than the boxed set of "The Office" DVD's, how about some of these ideas instead?
 Donate to a favorite charity in a loved one’s name – send them a card or certificate letting them know that you sent a donation in their name as their Christmas gift. A website that specializes in this type of giving is: Alternative Gifts International, from which you can send gifts of food, shelter, trees, gardens, medicines around the world (http://www.altgifts.org). For instance, for the price of a video game you can provide medicine for 100 impoverished people in Central America. Or give a lamb or rabbit to a needy family through Heifer International’s online gift registry (http://www.heifer.org)
Match (or give a percentage of) what you spend on gifts with a donation to your favorite charity or non-profit.
Alternatives to Mall Shopping:
http://www.agreatergift.org/
Order online from SERRV INTERNATIONAL, which brings you fair trade handcrafts and foods from around the world. We strive to promote living wages, women's rights and eco-friendly production through our partnerships with small-scale artisan and farmer groups. No child exploitation is used to make our products.
http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/
Order online from Ten Thousand Villages, which provides vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America.
http://store.gxonlinestore.org/
Order online from Global Exchange Fair Trade Online Store, which implements the principles of socially and economically responsible business by operating according to Fair Trade Criteria.
These are just a few ideas, designed to take the financial pressure off those who may not have the money to give what they'd like this year, as well as, and perhaps more importantly, give gifts that are more in tune with the true meaning of the spiritual holidays we observe during December. For whether you celebrate Solstice, Christmas, Kwaanza, or Hanukkah they all have one thing in common -- they are about sharing the love and light of the Sacred Presence with the rest of our world. And what better way to do that than to give something from the heart to those we love.
Happy Holidays!
SophyBells
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Below you'll find some offerings from other WDC members about gifts (they all relate to Christmas as I was unable to find items relating to other holiday gift-giving). Please let the folks know if you read their piece by leaving a thoughtful comment or review.
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Now for a few comments about my last newsletter about interfaith social justice:
From Lauriemariepea 
hi, sophy--
loved loved this newsletter!! so inspiring, the idea that one person can move mountains with compassion and perseverence. an important lesson, and i wonder too at what we might accomplish! makes me wanna run out into the street and hug people...although that might not be entirely helpful. 
thanks for an eloquent and stirring essay. 
Glad you enjoyed it -- thanks so much for your kind words! Yes, hugging would be great -- just maybe ask first! 
 
From darkin
Wonderful newsletter, Sophy. Very moving.
Thanks Dawn, glad you liked it!
Please keep your comments and suggestions coming, they are greatly appreciated! And on behalf of myself and the other regular Spiritual Newsletter Editors larryp and kittiara -- thanks for reading! 
Until next time! SophyBells
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Spiritual: December 17, 2008 Issue [#2769]
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