I gave back to a friend this week—I organized a meal train for her. Do you realize how easy the website Meal Train is? Set-up is easy; you can do it in five minutes. The hard part is asking people to sign-up.

There are those people who do it immediately, but then there are those of us (most of us) who need to take more time to figure out if we have the bandwidth to add this to our plate and the logistics of best timing that fits our schedule. So, as a fundraiser, I knew I’d have to do some follow-up. Professionally, I have no problem asking people a few times to give; I’m not as concerned about their perception of me as I am about people in my inner circle. In my personal life—I was scared they would think I was “too pushy” or “annoying”; a “nag”.

Keeping my goal in the forefront of my mind—providing my friend home-cooked meals during a difficult time—helped me press on through these concerns. And, these ladies surprised me with their response to my reminders.

They said: “Thank you for reminding me.”

I was touched. This was a gift to me; a reminder of people’s pure hearts and intentions of giving. What they were essentially saying to me was: I am grateful that you reminded me so that I can have joy in giving to my friend. Or, I am grateful to help my friend and feel the pleasure that comes from giving.

I’ve written about how Giving is Selfish! And, this was a good reminder of the paradox of how good giving feels. There’s a peacefulness and joy about it. A way for our souls, especially during this holiday season, to be relieved from human suffering. A relief that we can make a difference, maybe not everywhere in the world, but to one person—today.

Little acts of service create a snowball of positive energy within us that radiates into others. This time of year is the season of gift-giving. Remember not to give out of obligation! The greatest gift we can give ourselves is to give from the heart. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!