But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11

December 2019

Dear Friends,

This time of year tends to become hurried and stressful as we rush to purchase gifts for loved ones, decorate the house, clean, cook for family and neighborhood celebrations, and keep up with our everyday obligations. How fitting it is, then, to take a moment of thankfulness for the Gift of a Day. With senses heightened and thankfulness on our hearts, may we be newly wondrous of the eternal impact of One Birth on One Day which changed the world forever.

This month also concludes our yearlong Ultimate Gift series. We pray each month’s gift has brought you pleasure and perhaps some new ways of directing your time, talents and treasures to bless your family and those you love. It has been a true joy to share these Gift Letters with you and to hear your stories of how the series has impacted your lives.

Blessings,

The Team At Legacy Planning Advisors
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The Gift of a Day

Fewer things sound more delightful than spending a day doing exactly what we want. The Gift of a Day reminds us that sometimes we need to put our obligations and our work aside and just BE. We need to spend time with our loved ones, in our favorite place doing our favorite things, completely relaxing and forgetting about the hustle and bustle of our daily lives.

Isn’t it too bad that we can’t live the Gift of a Day every day? Maybe we can if we put it all into perspective. The Gift of a Day is about making the most of every moment and approaching all that you do with purpose and love.

It’s about keeping the people and activities we value the most in the forefront of our minds so that we don’t get distracted by all those things that aren’t important. It’s about feeling the satisfaction of truly giving and appreciating life around us and not taking one single thing for granted. Think about how the events of a single day have changed the course of history, and how a single day could change your life.

This month you will discover what your Perfect Day is and how you can make every day feel special by keeping that in mind.

 

“For everything, there is a season, and a time for everything under heaven: a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance;" Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

Experience the Gift of a Day

 

Snapshot of our Family Life
If time could stand still for one minute, what would the snapshot of your family life look like? Would it be calm and supportive, fun and exciting? If you could place trinkets that represented your family life into a Time Capsule, what would you put in there? Can you even remember how your family life has changed from last year to this year?

This month why not give yourselves the most precious gift of all: the gift of a day in your family life, recorded for generations to come! Use whatever method you like to represent your family life together: write it, record it, take pictures or make a movie.

Encourage each family member to contribute at least one personal object that represents the most memorable event in the year for him/her. Attach an explanation tag and put it in the Time Capsule. Your Snapshot of Family Life will be fun to revisit year after year.

 

“…a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;” Ecclesiastes 3:5

 

Re-Gifting with Heart
The Gift of a Day should remind us of all the things that are good in our lives: our health, our family, our home, our friends, and our integrity. The Gift of a Day should also encourage us to share with someone who might not have the same access to the opportunities that we do.

This holiday, spend a day going through your closets, toy chests, toolbox, and kitchen. Can we give someone else the Gift of a Day by sharing with him/her some of these things that we have in our life? Wrap up the non-perishable food items and drop them off at the local homeless shelter. Fluff up a teddy bear; put him in a box with a ribbon, and smile when you think of the little girl who will receive this on her special day.

Re-gifting with Heart will allow you to delight together as a family as you realize that the Gift of a Day can be so much more when you share it with someone else.

 

“…a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away:” Ecclesiastes 3:6

 

Fifty-Two Stones
Spending time together as a family is probably one of the most important things we do in our lives. Families give us strength and unconditional support.

In our fast-paced life, we all need to step back and make the effort to be together. Children will only be young for such a short while, and we want to make the most of that time. The last thing we want is to have regrets about not making the most of our time together.

Start a tradition this month that reminds you of The Gift of a Day all year long. Place 52 stones in a jar that represent the 52 precious weeks you must enjoy during the year.

Remove one stone each week, at a time when the family has gathered, and share your best moments from that week. Just seeing the jar of stones sitting on your table will make you think twice about how you spend your time and how to make the most of the little time we do have together.