By Deena Wolfson
Some years ago I opened my home to another student of Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ. She had come to Chicago to undergo major surgery. I happened to have space in my home, so I invited her to stay with me while she recovered. We became close friends.
Since that time, whenever we see each other, she always tries to thank me, saying, “I can’t believe this stranger opened her home to me.”
I have always had difficulty accepting expressions of gratitude, because it seems as if I’m patting myself on the back. So, I’d shrug off her comments with, “No, no, that’s fine. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
In doing that, I would just push my friend’s gratitude away.
That is, until recently when she and I were talking. I suddenly realized that in denying her the gift of showing me gratitude, I may have been letting her feel she owed a debt she could not repay. I asked her to please forgive me and told her quite simply, “You’re welcome.”
I remember her gentle and loving smile. We both acknowledged the role of Divine Spirit in all this. I am more grateful for this lesson than words can express.
Giving and receiving are opposite sides of the same coin.