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During the holiday season I'm always touched by programs which
collect toys or food and distribute them to those in need. As a
matter of fact, I know that many TIP Affiliates participate in
such efforts.
Although TIP is not one of those organizations whose primary
mission is to distribute gifts during the holidays, we are
indeed Gift Givers. Granted we are not gift givers in the
traditional sense of bringing wrapped presents to others. But
when TIP volunteers respond to TIP Calls they bring a very
important gift to emotionally traumatized citizens...the Gift of
Self.
This Gift of Self is a subtle and mysterious gift. But
it's very real and very powerful, and it's exactly the gift
which those who have been struck by tragedy need.
What is this Gift of Self? It's difficult to describe.
It's not something we can purchase at the Mall, and it's not
something we can see. But we know from experience this gift is
very real, and we know it's the only gift that really matters to
someone in the midst of horrible tragedy. Let me try to identify
the elements of the Gift of Self which TIP Volunteers
give to our clients...
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The Gift of Self involves the
willingness of TIP Volunteers to put themselves "on the
line." When giving the Gift of Self, TIP Volunteers know
that they will likely to be affected by the situation they are
responding to. They know that they may come away having "picked
up" the client's pain, or they may come away with a gnawing
feeling of helplessness (“I didn't do anything."). So,
the Gift of Self involves an element of personal risk.
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The Gift of Self involves TIP
Volunteers using their own personalities, talents and
knowledge in the service of others. Rarely is a TIP Call "by the
book." TIP Volunteers need to fall back on their own life
experiences and on who they've become as unique individuals over
their lifetimes.
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The Gift of Self is not a Gift of
Ego (“here I am in all my helping glory”). Rather it's a
process of TIP Volunteers making themselves completely available
to others. As we say in TIP, TIP volunteers must leave
themselves “in the car”. I'm sure that TIP Volunteers would
agree with me when I say that putting their own wants, needs and
opinions aside on TIP Calls is the biggest challenge to
providing others with the Gift of Self.
In short, the Gift of Self can best be described as the
gift of "presence." While TIP Volunteers don't arrive at
people's doors with presents, they bring something even more
important...their loving presence.
As I said at the beginning, I'm all for traditional gift giving
during the holidays, and I applaud organizations which gear up
for the holidays to distribute gifts to children and those in
need (who can't be touched by the efforts of Toys For Tots, for
example). But, I think it's important for all of us in TIP
to appreciate the invisible but extremely important gift that we
deliver to others during the holidays and every day of the
year...the Gift of Ourselves.
Happy Holiday, and I thank each of you for taking
time out of you busy lives at this time of year to make good on
that outrageous commitment that TIP makes to the community:
"We’re always ready...always there."
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