GIVING FROM THE HEART

One of my students got an earful from me this morning for a very thoughtless act that she did. I believe the girl and her friends all got a lesson in the etiquette of giving gifts. I am sure that you would be wondering what I am really going on about, right? Let me fill you in on the details. Yesterday, one of my librarians volunteered to go and buy the souvenirs for our year end gathering which will be held tomorrow night. The money for the souvenirs were collected from the other librarians themselves. I had also given her money to buy souvenirs for the library teachers who were also invited to the dinner.

Well, this morning the girl brought all the souvenirs that she went to buy to the library. Those for the librarians cost RM1.90 and were rather cute. But I was in for a great shock when I was shown the gift for the teachers. It was a miserable looking candle in the shape of a pot of twisted orange cactus. I had given her RM33.00 to buy the souvenirs and wrappers for 10 library teachers (inclusive of money for transportation) and she came back with a RM1.00 worth of candle. Obviously, the souvenir was simply bought without a thought for their teachers. I felt really upset that the two girls would go through so much trouble to select gifts for themselves and their peers and be so thoughtless and crude when it came to the teachers. I had told them that my late father had told me that if we want to give people a treat, we make sure that it is really a treat. Similarly, if we give something, we give from the heart - something that is bought or made after great consideration and also thought. If we want to give something inferior just because we feel obliged to give then don't give as it would turn out to be an insult to the person who receives the gift.

Believe me, I spent the whole morning lecturing her and all the other librarians on how they should be more caring and thoughtful towards others. This is a lesson that should be taught. I do not want it to be known that I have not done anything to make my students to see the error of their thoughtless and inconsiderate actions.

Later in the day, I went and returned the RM1.00 candles and bought much better souvenirs for the guests tomorrow.