"The Magic Closet" is a true story I read many years ago which changed my life in a wonderful way. Karen A. Perry, who wrote the story, told about the financial challenges of her family. When Karen was 14 her father died, leaving her mother with eight children (age 5 months to 15) to care for. How did they manage?
Karen’s mother had a secret weapon, a magic closet full of fabric which kept the family clothed. When anyone needed clothing they selected fabric from the magic closet and then with mom’s help they sewed the clothing.
The magic of the closet was that it never ran out, even though Karen’s mom was often generous with the fabric, giving much of it away to others in need. Karen worried about her mom’s generosity and felt that they couldn’t afford to give fabric away. Karen’s mom felt that they couldn’t afford not to.
Eventually Karen learned that sharing the fabric was what created its magic. As a grown woman with her own fabric to share, she discovered that the more she gave the more the more she had available to her. It seemed that whenever she gave fabric away, her fabric was magically replenished by others.
Now I’m not crazy about sewing, and I don’t have a magic closet full of fabric, but I have other gifts to share. If the magic is real then I can share anything I have, and never run out. I can share food. I can share money. I can share talents. I can share time. Whatever we give returns back to us, multiplied.
I have experienced in my own life the magic of giving. I’ve never regretted giving a gift. I’ve never missed the things I have shared with others. I have never failed to have my own needs met. The magic is so powerful, that I wonder why I haven’t given more. I think I’ll start today. Today is a great day for giving.
Need some magic in your life today? What will you give?
Linda Garner
P.S.
If you’d like to read The Magic Closet, you can find it at www.lds.org in the New Era, March 1988, p. 20. (Or you can email me and I will send you a copy.) LindaGarner@somesecretshurt.com
3 comments:
Oh, Linda. Would that I was half the woman you are. =]
Thank you for helping remind me to be a good sharer and that the best gifts are the ones where we give of ourselves.
I'll check out that story!
XOXO
Laura
Oooh, I want to share chocolate, and have chocolate shared in turn. Ummmm. Is that so bad?
This is beautiful. Brings tears to my eyes. I'm going to look @ the world tomorrow with different eyes, the eyes of a giver. Thank you.
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