I recently had a few trade workers in my home and one of them gave me the gift of “radiant appreciation” – appreciation witnessed from the outside in as we see with a grateful, innocent child.

I had completed my spring cleaning and was passing on electronics and house wares that were not completely functional and serving items going unused. My house wares were directed to the gentleman that is married to be given to his wife.

He didn’t speak a word of English and graciously accepted a coffee maker, then cookware. And when I brought out a shiny gold plated butter-serving dish, his eyes lit up with his “being” beaming from his core—filling the entire room like a child on Christmas morning.

Suddenly the work he was doing for me was so small compared to the gift he had given me. It remains the highlight of that house project. He gave me the gift of “radiant appreciation” and the joy of giving.

Notice how it feels when your actions are uplifting for another. And notice the degree to which you give and receive particularly in the aftermath of being abused.

©Copyright 2008 Dr. Jeanne King Consultants, LLC www.PreventAbusiveRelationships.com All Rights Reserved.

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Author Bio

Dr. Jeanne King, Ph.D psychologist, author and speaker, helps people recognize the subtle communication patterns of verbal emotional abuse—what supports it and what interrupts it. Author of All But My Soul: Abuse Beyond Control, Dr. King developed the Intimate Partner Abuse Screen to help people properly identify, understand and stop domestic abuse before it spirals out of control.