The Offering card is very reverent and when read slowly & mindfully, it stirs something deep within. There are many many images in its message. Responsibility. Intention. Service. Humility. All beautiful gifts we humans can share with the world.

We are standing upon the threshold of a new year. And we also stand upon the threshold each new day, hour, or moment. However, the end of December creates pause for reflection and review. It is an opportunity for us to create a new beginning, a better way, or maybe a ‘do-over’ for a poor choice. We often equate January as a momentous beginning, a starting point, or time for new commitments. So what are you willing to clear out from this past year in order to make room for a better one? What are you considering as an offering for your burning bowl?

‘wrap these gifts with your purest intention‘

Will the smoke from your offering cleanse an old wound? Will it bring kindness to another or patience to an elder? I’d like to think an offering of forgiveness might spark a burning bowl to flare up, while an offering to share with others who are seeking food & shelter, could fuel a burning bowl for a hundred nights.

‘place them with reverence‘

Today I viewed a short story about two elderly men who volunteer every week in a neonatal unit. They show up to cuddle and coo over babies who have been born sick and abandoned. While gently holding an especially sick child, one of these grey haired angels whispered, ‘These sick little babies need human touch. They need to feel loved. But I think I receive more from them than they do from me’ 

I think he is right. Serving others with humility, either through our words or actions, serves us far more than we can ever measure.