The Bunny Gift Story
When our three daughters were 4, 5 and 9 years of age, their grandmother came by with a gift. The presents were three fluffy bunnies. As their grandmother gave the rabbits to the girls, she started telling them how they should treat the new toys. She said, ”Now you are to take good care of them, keep them clean, and do not ruin them.”
Gently, we took grandma aside and spoke to her about the concern over the fate of the toys given to her grandchildren. She’d need to understand that the gifted bunnies would belong to the girls. Her grandchildren would most likely do what they pleased with them. We also told her to expect the fluffy toys to get dirty. It was also likely that the bunnies would be taken into the bathtub. This was not an unusual activity for the girls to give their stuffed animals and dolls a bath. Their grandmother looked at us and smiled in spite of herself.
She walked back to the girls and said, “Enjoy the toys and have fun with these bunnies.” We are happy to report that the bunnies faired well and lasted well into our daughters teenaged years.
Give it all Way
We believe that once a gift is given the present becomes the property of the receiver. The receiver then becomes the sole owner of the present. As the giver, there is no longer any claim of ownership or control of the item or thing given. Therefore the recipient has the right to do anything with the article gifted.
The moral to the story is that when giving a gift whether it is an item, love, or the trust of friendship, entirely give it away. Leave it up to the recipient to do what they will. The real beauty of giving is how the giver feels when making others happy.
It is better to give full-heartedly than to worry about the fate of stuff.
Be well, Have Gratitude and Spread Goodwill