The ripples of giving

I am surrounded by wonderful people who are very giving. I finally see what my parents always said about watching who I surround myself with. But my friends weren't by design, it is just something that happens, which I am grateful for.

This week a friend answered a request for household things for Day, since he is moving into his first new apartment. She is giving him a full bed and mattresses. Did he need it, no, we are giving him his here, but it is only a twin. But, as I told her, it works perfect because our old neighbor (who stayed with us some last year until he got on his feet) is finally getting his own apartment too and needs a bed, so he will get Day's twin bed. I told my friend and she said great, she got to help two people. And it made me think, yes it did, because giving has a ripple effect. It doesn't stop at just the one act.

That made me realize I had to tell my other friend her own ripple effect. She gives me her daughter's (my God-daughter) clothes for Shy's little girl. I had another friend get up with me this week because her granddaughter was in need of clothes, so while Shy came to pick up new clothes for her baby, she dropped off the too small clothes for my friend's grand-daughter. I figured my original friend deserved to know how her giving is still going along.

My cousin gives me my nephew's clothes for J, who I in turn give to a friend, who gives back to me for T, who I then give to another friend's grandson. So what starts with my cousin ripples on to 3 more kids after J. That same cousin and I trade books. Neither of us have the space to save into a library, not with the amount that we read, so we then pass those books on. I tell people to keep passing them. Books and clothes might seem trivial, but it still makes it around.

Now, some will say that giving can end with one person. And yes, there may be a person who cannot continue to pass it on, unfortunately there are also people who just won't pass it on, but that doesn't stop the fact that you can still do in the future for someone else, and if you did once, you likely will again just for the feel good effect it has (and honestly, giving for un-selfish reasons is still selfish, because you are still fulfilling a need of your own, a GOOD need to do for others, but nonetheless your own personal need.)

(There is a post on here from a few years ago about when I bought lunch for a homeless gentleman and gave him a blanket, which he said he knew someone who could use it. Once again, it ripples. And you may be watched, urging someone else to do the same.)