The Gift of Great Service

We are all gifted in different areas. No matter what your gift is I encourage you to put it to use, it will change lives. No human is more important than another, together we change the world. God calls each one of us to be servants, to serve others in love just as Jesus did. It's a great gift to others to serve them with excellence. Putting your gifts to use is practicing generosity.


On Saturday morning I woke up with pain in my neck. I have been sleeping on the same pillow for the last five years and on Saturday my neck was letting me know that I needed to buy a new pillow NOW! I was annoyed that I had to squeeze in a visit to Sleep Country on my Saturday morning since I had a birthday party to organize. Once I arrived at the store my mood completely changed, I was met by an older man who served me with excellence and gave me all the advice I needed to pick the perfect new pillow for my aching neck. We laughed and joked and afterwards I returned home with a new luxurious pillow and a feeling of gratitude for the great service I had received. This morning I didn't really want to get out of bed because my new pillow is super comfortable and sleeping on it feels like a taste of heaven to me. My point is this: whatever you do, do it with excellence! No matter what your gifting is and no matter what job you have, decide to serve people with excellence.


When we commit to giving our best to other people we change people's lives. We love our neighbor when we commit to serving others with excellence, no matter if our client is wealthy or poor. Every time the barista serves me an excellent latte at the coffee shop he/she makes my day. Every time the nurse at the hospital gives me excellent care she makes a huge difference to my week. Every time a stranger gives me a compliment in the street it puts a smile on my face and reminds me of how kind and awesome Canadians are.


Words can not describe how big the difference is between when somebody treats you as an object versus giving you their best effort. I've had doctor's visits that have made me cry because the doctor clearly didn't care about my situation and only saw me as a case number. I've had other doctor's visits that have helped me tremendously, not only because I was given great medical advice but also because I was treated like a human-being, not as an object or case. Whatever you do, do it with excellence and you will change many people's lives in the process. As you change people's lives you also change the world in a positive direction at the same time.

In the winter wonderland

Christmas is the season of ultimate joy and love. I experience so much joy this time of year, joy that comes in many different forms. I'm a very visual person so I love walking around our neighborhood enjoying the beautiful snowy landscapes and people's Christmas decorations. Thank you neighbors for giving me joy through your decorations! :)

I also love that Christmas is a season of generosity. I get so much joy from picking out gifts for friends and family, seeing their reactions when they open their gifts and joking with them about how I'm totally okay if they want to regift what I got for them.

Apparently new research has shown that people who spend their money on others rather than on themselves end up happier. It's exciting to me every time I see new research pointing to the same facts that has been known by wise people for generations. A generous life makes both us and others happier. If we choose to be selfless rather than self-centered its a win-win for everybody in the world, and what better time is there to start this new lifestyle than at Christmas time? :)