“No one has ever become poor by giving.”
This quotation is attributed to Anne Frank, who, along with her family and others, needed to go into hiding during World War II because they were Jewish and Hitler’s Nazis were imprisoning Jewish people. After being in hiding from 1942-1944, they were discovered and transported to concentration camps. Anne was only 15 years old when she became ill and died. Her father was the only one in her family who survived, and when he returned to where they had lived, he discovered her diary. Through his endeavors, Anne’s diary was published with the title The Diary of a Young Girl. In reading it, I’ve been impressed by the wisdom Anne possessed at such a young age.
Anne’s statement “No one has ever become poor by giving” brings to mind the many ways that we can give.
We can be generous with our time by, when we’re with our children or grandchildren, giving them our undivided attention; by being there for our spouse or partner when she or he needs us; by visiting and calling elderly people who can no longer drive and who spend a lot of time alone; and by volunteering to help with causes that we believe matter.
We can be generous with the abilities we’ve been given by volunteering in programs to tutor children, by teaching English to people who have come to our country from other countries, or by teaching other types of skills at which we’ve become proficient.
We can be generous with the money we’ve been given by donating to nonprofit and charitable organizations to help them continue operating and working toward their goals of improving people’s lives. We can also be generous with the money we’ve been given by donating to arts organizations to enable dance, music, theater, the visual arts, and other art forms to thrive and to be available to others to enjoy.
When I write the words “abilities we’ve been given” and “money we’ve been given,” I do so as a reminder that everything we have has been given to us by the Creator. It’s important that all of us who have been blessed with talents, intelligence, good health, and/or loving relationships keep in mind the source of those blessings. By giving in any of the ways I’ve listed or in other ways, we help to improve the quality of life for others. By being generous, not only do we not “become poor by giving,” but the opposite happens: by giving, our lives are enriched.