The Gift in a Toxic Society

I had posted this a few years ago and wanted to make sure it gets shared again….

The most meaningful gift of all doesn’t come from the mall or from the internet. It’s doesn’t require a hefty budget. It comes from your heart!

“The Gift in a Toxic Society” is from my friend Dr. Stephen Sroka, The Power of One Motivational speaker and I’m sharing his instructions here. Before I get to those, I also want to add, this gift can be life changing, not only for the person you are creating it for. See, while you are putting pen to paper and expressing what you want your loved one to know, you change too. Your heart opens wider; your sense of appreciation grows deeper. You change in love and that’s the best change of all.

Here are the instructions: Think of a person you love. Take out a piece of paper, please no computers or iPads. Use a pencil or pen. At the top of the paper write:

The Gift

Dear __________,

I don’t want to die, but if I do, I want you to know that ______________________________.

In your own handwriting, tell the person what she or he means to you. What does she or he do that makes you laugh, and makes you cry? What are your dreams and fears for her or him? Express your love in a way that if you died, and could come back for only 3 minutes, what would you say?

Then give her or him the letter. If you can watch as the letter is read, preferably out loud, since it will probably bring smiles and tears to both your faces.

Dr. Sroka goes on to state: “This makes the perfect holiday gift. It is one that you cannot buy, and one gift that will probably never be thrown away. It may be read again long after you are gone. It may even become part of your legacy.

Some people who have shared the Gift have said it was life changing and helped save their marriages and even pulled their families back together. Some teachers have used the Gift as a writing prompt, and some organizations have shared it with their members. Please feel free to share the Gift.

When I speak in schools after a death, I frequently hold crying survivors who tell me that they wished that they had told the person whom they loved, that they loved her or him before she or he had died. Sometimes, in life, you don’t get a chance.

Write the Gift letter today, because tomorrow may be too late.

I hope that you take some time this holiday season to tell the person you love how much she or he means to you.

Peace, Steve”

Stephen R. Sroka Ph.D
President, Health Education Consultants
Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University
1284 Manor Park
Lakewood, OH 44107
(216) 521-1766
e-mail: DrSSroka@aol.com
www.Dr.StephenSroka.com
…”making the difference with a power of one”…

I’ve included the video and urge you to watch it for inspiration. Also, I challenge each one of you reading to make this holiday season, and the coming New Year, the time that you put your pen to paper and craft The Gift for anyone who makes a difference in your life.