This idea is excerpted from Barbara’s book “CARE Packages for the Home–Dozens of Ways to Regenerate Spirit Where You Live.”
THE IDEA:
It is fun to give surprise gifts that are anonymous and that make the receiver wonder who might have been the one to remember them.
THE IDEA IN ACTION:
Sylvia Marshall writes about the impact an anonymous gift had on her life:
During a period of great personal despair, a subscription to a small monthly Prayer Book filled with special prayers throughout the calendar month was mailed to me for about a year. I never did find out who sent this to me, but I can tell you I valued that little book. I still have certain pages that I tore out and saved as a keepsake. Some days were harder than others, and the passages in each of the daily pages seemed to hold significance for me alone. It sustained me during those times. I’m so very grateful to that special person who heard my cry and answered my prayers.
Last summer when I went to the front door to get the mail, there was a darling little basket in the door filled with 5 or 6 baggies of goodies–cookie cutter cookies, brownies, Jordan almonds, and even tea bags. On top was a little poem that read:
“THIS LITTLE BASKET COMES TO SAY,
YOU’RE A SPECIAL FRIEND IN EVERY WAY.
PASS IT ALONG, BUT DON’T GET CAUGHT.
DO IT IN SECRET AS JESUS TAUGHT!”
I was deeply touched! I enjoyed the treats and then refilled the basket with things I love and left it in another friend’s door when I knew she would be away. I thought and thought about who sent it, but I never have found out who was my special messenger…
TIPS:
Anyone could do either of these things in their family, neighborhood, or school. You may want to change the faith orientation in the basket poem to one which is comfortable for you, or make up your own poem. I loved filling the basket with things I treasured like the little plastic chocolate-covered spoons, special herbal tea bags, several wrapped Godiva chocolates, a tiny book of quotations, and Pepperidge Farm goldfish!
Barbara Glanz Biography
A member of the prestigious Speaker Hall of Fame and one of fewer than 700 Certified Speaking Professionals worldwide, Barbara Glanz, CSP, CPAE, works with organizations to improve morale, retention and service and with people who want to rediscover the joy in their work and in their lives. She is the first speaker on record to have spoken on all 7 continents and in all 50 states. Known as "the business speaker who speaks to your heart as well as to your head," Barbara is the author of twelve books including The Simple Truths of Service Inspired by Johnny the Bagger®, CARE Packages for the Workplace, and 180 Ways to Spread Contagious Enthusiasm™. Voted "best keynote presenter you have heard or used" by Meetings & Conventions Magazine, Barbara uses her Master’s degree in Adult Learning to design programs that cause behavior change. She lives and breathes her personal motto: “Spreading Contagious Enthusiasm™” and can be reached at bglanz@barbaraglanz.com and www.barbaraglanz.com.
