Welcome to Abundance By Magic! Started by one lucky “Elf” who loves to give money away, this website has developed over time into an entire community of Elves who spread magic, love, and joy through anonymous gift-giving. There are currently twenty-six Elves from six different countries (and four different continents!) giving gifts around the world.

If you are a first-time visitor to this site, please make yourself at home and have a look around:

Did you receive a gift from Abundance By Magic, or from one of our Elves? The Did You Receive Something page should answer all of your questions.

Did you receive a gift from Abundance By Magic and would like to say thank you? The Leave Thanks page is the place to do it.

Are you curious about who has been gifted and why? An extensive blog authored by the owner of the site (and various Elves) details many of our gift-giving escapades.

Are you curious to know more about the person who founded this site, her mission, and why she does what she does? Check out the About and the FAQ pages.

Would you like to join in the fun of giving, and be entered into our weekly $50 Elf giveaway prize? You can learn how on the “Be an Elf” page.

Do you know someone wonderful and deserving? Nominate them to receive a gift! Just fill out the form on the “Nominate a Recipient” page.

Would you like to sign up to receive e-mail notification of all new posts and updates to the site? You may do so on the Contact page.

Would you like to visit another website filled with magic and gifts? Check out our sister-site, My Everyday Magic, run by the amazing and fantabulous Sparkle Fairy!

Thank you for visiting Abundance By Magic. I hope you enjoy the site, and have a tremendously wonderful and lucky day!

I just adore nice people. I love knowing about them, I love hearing about them, I love reading about them, and I just love, love, LOVE gifting them.

Today’s recipient is Sabrina Gilchrist. She is a dancer. She’s energetic and fun. She’s open and bubbly and filled with optimism. She’s also incredibly disciplined, motivated, and hard on herself. But above all, she’s kind, she’s caring, and she’s fantastically nice.

How do I know all this? I had the pure pleasure of reading about her in an article in The Spectator, the student newspaper of the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire. The article is now nearly three years old, but I’m willing to bet that Sabrina is as lovely as ever. Just listen to this:

Gilchrist, an English major and dance minor, is truly a kid at heart, junior Patrick Orlopp said.

Orlopp, a friend of Sabrina’s, said it is not uncommon for Gilchrist to call or show up at his door just to play in the rain.

“She basically wears rose-colored glasses,” Orlopp said, on Gilchrist’s outlook on life. “She laughs more than anyone I know. It really brightens up everyone else around her.”

And how about this:

Last semester Gilchrist made it a mission to meet a new person every day, said dance professor Toni Poll-Sorensen, who has been one of Sabrina’s instructors for nearly four years.

“She would come in and say ‘I made someone smile today!’ or ‘I made a new friend!’” Poll-Sorensen said. “It was pretty wonderful.”

Really, you guys just have to read the whole article. You’ll be glad you did.

In fact, she just seems so utterly gift-worthy, that what I really want is to gift not just her, but absolutely everyone associated with her. I want to gift her mom for raising her, her dance instructor for supporting her, her friends for valuing her, and the author of the article for choosing her as a subject.

Hey. You know what? I think I AM going to gift the journalist who wrote about her. Of course I am! Because darn it, it’s a great article. And from what I can tell, the writer (now editor) is hard-working, skilled, dedicated, and fully deserving of a treat herself. Plus, she’s still a college student, and I can’t think of any college student who wouldn’t like a little extra money for something fun.

So there, how ’bout that? It’s a spontaneous two-fer this week. What fun! Sabrina Gilchrist for being so darned awesome, and Janie Boschma for the wonderful service of touting her in such a fine, well-written article.

A big congrats to both of you. I hope you enjoy your gifts. And thank you for brightening my world!

I was so excited to be gifted the $50 prize a few weeks ago. I spent some time thinking about what I could do with the money and was, frankly, overwhelmed by the possibilities. Should I give it all at once or split it up? Should I hand a stranger something or stick it in a book or newspaper? Then I read about giving by using cashiers and thought that was a brilliant idea. I decided on a gift card for our local supermarket, because who can’t use groceries? I figured I’d walk in buy a gift card and leave it with the cashier to dispense as s/he thought best. (Thanks to the elf with that lovely idea!)

As it turned out I found the person that I was to gift the grocery card to myself. A wonderful person who is quick to help others and passionate about change. She is a single mother and small business owner. It just clicked. I went to the store the next day and purchased the gift card, came home and addressed the envelope and sent it out. I’m so happy to be able to help brighten someone’s day. I can’t wait to do it again!

Dear Great-Great-Grandma:

I know life was hard for you. I know you were hungry a lot, and cold. I want to write and reassure you that I, your descendant, am rich beyond your wildest dreams.

I live in a good solid home, warm and dry. We’ve got a strong roof and sealed wood floors, and big windows to let the light in. Even in the worst weather we are as safe and cozy as a dream. I know you didn’t get to have that in your lifetime.

This is going to blow your mind away, so get ready for it: I have THREE bathrooms. My bathrooms are IN the house. They are clean, comfortable, warm and safe. No cold, dark, dirty outhouses for this girl. And my two kids? They each have their very own bedroom to sleep in. They don’t need to sleep five to a bed like you did, because our house stays warm and dry all night long.

My home has running water, too. Anytime I want, I can turn on the faucet in my kitchen or my bathrooms and get clean, cold water to drink or clean, hot water to wash with. We bathe in giant tubs filled with fresh warm water, every single day. I am not exaggerating! And we don’t even have to share the bath water. When we’re done, we just unplug the drain, and it drains itself. No mess. Can you imagine?

I have warm clothes, and plenty of them. Right now, I’m wearing a fuzzy purple sweater and soft woolly socks. I have a drawer full of sweaters and socks, and I didn’t make a single one myself. When I need to go out, I have a coat stuffed with down feathers and gloves and a scarf and a hat and even nice thick boots. I have everything I could possibly need to keep myself warm and dry. I know you didn’t always have that. I know you were cold a lot.

Great-great-grandma, I just want to let you know: I have plenty of food. More than I could ever need or want. I know you went hungry a lot. Rest assured that your descendants are very well fed. We have this thing in the kitchen called a refrigerator, and it’s just filled to the brim with healthy, delicious food kept fresh and cold, like magic. I’m looking in it right now. I’ve got milk, cream, apples, oranges, cheese, pudding, chicken, sausage, lemons, peppers, greens, jams, jellies, peanut butter, and fresh squeezed juice, and get this: IT’S FEBRUARY.

I’ll wait a bit while you pick yourself up off the floor.

Now, I know that you lost some of your children to death, and that most every other family you knew did, too. I want you to know that most of us now, where we live, expect to give birth to strong healthy babies who live long healthy lives, and for the most part, that’s exactly what happens. My two kids are healthy and strong and full of life. When they do get ill, there is a good clean hospital nearby with highly trained doctors who will not turn us away. More than anything else, I wish I could give this experience to you. I’m so sorry you knew such sorrow.

Oh, and education? Great-great-grandma: I went to college. So did my mom, and so will my daughter. It’s a given. Where we live, every single child is able to go to school starting at age five, all the way through till they are eighteen. No more quitting in the sixth grade because you have to work. I know you wanted education so badly, and I know it broke your heart not to get it. Please know that I enjoyed every minute of mine. I’ve read all the great works of literature, I’ve studied philosophy, psychology, world religions, a variety of sciences, music, art, and so many wonderful things. I wish you could have been there with me!

And by the way, I have this thing called a car. It’s this amazing, miraculous machine, where you get inside and step on this pedal and whooosh! You can go anywhere you like, fast as you please, over smooth, well-paved roads. It’s got soft cushiony seats and it’s all sealed up so that the wind and the rain can’t get to you at all. Can you IMAGINE a thing like that? It’s got heat for when it’s cold, cooling for when it’s warm, and this thing called a radio so that we can listen to music while we drive. It doesn’t require animals to pull it, so when we get home all we have to do is turn it off and go inside, easy as you please.

I could go on and on and on. I know you must be very shocked that a descendant of yours could ever have so much.

I want you to know that I’m not taking it for granted. I know how very lucky I am, and I am so very grateful for all that I have. I lie in bed at night sometimes, feeling so cozy and comfortable, healthy and full, warm and safe. I listen to the rain on my roof and I think of you. Sometimes I wonder if perhaps I am so rich because of your prayers. Did you pray that your children’s children not feel your pain and your suffering? If so, I’m here to let you know: It worked.

Thank you Great-Great-Grandma. I hope that wherever you are right now, you are feeling as rich and happy as I am.

All my best,
ABM

p.s. The $50 Elf Giveaway winner is…

dum-de-de-dum-dum-dum…

One of our very newest Elves… it’s angel!

Congratulations, angel. I’ll be sending it along via Giving Anonymously. Hope you enjoy it!

If I gave you $100 or $500 or $10,000 dollars, just because I thought you were lovely, how would you feel? Would you accept the gift, feeling expansive, honored, and gracious? Or would you shrink from the gift, feeling uncomfortable or even ashamed? Would you ask me to please pass it on to someone more needy, or more worthy?

If you are among the latter, I want to talk to you. I want to convince you that you DO deserve a gift.

I’m not saying that you deserve it because you are extraordinary or exceptional or even particularly virtuous. For all I know, you are utterly, shockingly mediocre. For all I know, you are shockingly worse than mediocre.

To which I say: So what?

Look. Maybe your house is a big disgusting mess. Maybe you yelled at your kids this morning or snapped at your husband on his way out the door. Or maybe it’s that you’re fat, and you believe that only thin and fit people deserve love. Maybe you never finished that degree, and you cringe every time you think of it. Maybe you are a procrastinator who never follows through on anything. Maybe you struggle with addictions or mental illness. One way or another, you have let yourself down. You are furious, ashamed, and disappointed because somehow, someway, you know you are supposed to be better than this.

Let me suggest to you, gently, that your feelings of unworthiness stem not from humility, but from ego. It’s your ego that’s telling you you should be other than what you are. Your ego is pushing you, whipping you, and abusing you. It’s trying to convince you that if you could just be a little different, a little more, or a little better, that you will somehow reach some mystical, magical place of worthiness, and all will be well.

Well, screw it. Your ego is a damned sham. It’s telling you dirty lies. Say it with me now: “Screw you, ego. I’m fine just as I am. I am worthy. I am enough.”

And then: Celebrate yourself. Be kind to yourself. Even if you are fat. Even if you haven’t done laundry in three weeks and sent your kids to school in dirty jeans. Even if you’ve failed yourself, over and over and over again.

Step out through your back door, right now, look up at the sky, and demand a gift. Claim it. Say it out loud: “I am lovely. I deserve a gift.”

And then, when you step back inside, do me a favor and stop being so darned hard on yourself. Shift your focus away from what you are not, back to all that you are. Notice when you hold a door open for someone. Notice when you smile at a baby. Notice when you kiss your kids goodnight and read them bedtime stories. Notice the warmth in your heart. Why should you be more than this? You are not perfect now and will never be perfect, but you are enough.

Forgive yourself everything.

When you can do this, you will find true humility. And that is when, finally, you will be able to receive your gifts gladly. And that is when they will begin to arrive, plentifully.

Now, onto today’s recipient:

I am happy to announce my very first reader recipient nominee! The nominees I’ve received so far have been utterly fantastic. I can’t begin to tell you how happy they make me, so be sure to keep them coming. I have already added several to my giving list for sure, and it was such a pleasure to do so. But today, for my first pick, I could only choose one, and I picked K., sister to Devon. Here is why Devon thought she ought to win:

“She’s my sister… she’s probably not your typical nominee… but she deserves something wonderful to happen to her! She works full time and is starting nursing school, because after 4 years of college and 2.5 years in the business world, she decided she’d rather take care of people. She doesn’t make a lot of money but her job will help her in the nursing field so she likes it.

She gives to charity – she has two sponsored children in the Third World – but mostly I just wanted to nominate her because it would be amazing if she won a nice treat for herself “

Devon: Thank you so much. Your humble nomination exactly fits the bill, and I couldn’t agree more: Your sister deserves a treat!

K., I hope you enjoy it. You DO deserve it. You are absolutely lovely. Hooray!

I have taken this phrase to a whole new level! I used to feel a negative vibe when I heard these words, like there is loss involved. But now I hear it and think about abundance, sharing, and giving.

Today when I was in a coffee shop I was journaling and sipping on an iced mocha. There was a newspaper on the table in front of me, so I opened it straight to the funnies and enjoyed myself for a good ten minutes, giggling there in the shop and enjoying strange looks from others. As I looked for my calendar book in my bag, I found one of my ABM cards. I thought to myself about what I could do right then and there. I felt mischievous, and pulled a dollar out of my wallet,  folding it behind the card. I put it in the newspaper on the funnies page, closed the newspaper and gathered my things to head to work.

I am feeling giddy wondering who will happen upon the mysterious little gift! Get your laughs and some magic all in one! Then I thought about the phrase “Another day, another dollar” and was feeling quite magical about it! How many other tricky little places could I tuck these little magical gifts of abundance? The possibilities are endless!

Do you know what I’m going to do today? I’m going to tell you all about the extraordinarily excellent, effusively effervescent, and exceptionally enthusiastic Elf Elviolith. Partly just because I wanna, and partly because she has decided to do something wonderful… for YOU.

Elviolith was one of the very first Elves to sign up over two months ago, and she’s been a truly outstanding Elf ever since. She’s given away beautiful, handmade amethyst earrings (more than once!), she gifted $50 to a very deserving mom at Christmastime, she surprised one random stranger in a takeout line, and she even gifted one lovely stranger with a bucket of Crysanthiums! And her generous giving is just the start: She is, frankly, a huge part of making this site a success. I can always count on her to leave the kindest comments on new posts, and she never fails to greet new Elves over on Elf Chat. This site would simply not be the same without her.

Elviolith is just as amazing a person as she is an Elf. You can get a pretty good sense of her at her website, called Amla Sami. She makes the most beautiful jewelry which she calls, “Jewelry for the Soul,” including earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and even accessories like purse charms and bookmarks.

Elviolith also practices Reiki, “an ancient healing method which promotes stress reduction, relaxation and healing.” And, to top it all off, Elviolith is an intuitive card reader. How cool is that? That means, if you have any question about your life, maybe about a decision you need to make, or your love life, or your career, or just about the general direction of your life, Elviolith can consult her cards and tell you what they mean for you, and give you guidance on what path to take.

So why am I telling you all of this? Aside from just thinking it’s pretty darn cool, all of this actually has implications for YOU, my lucky Elves, because Elviolith has decided that she wants to “give to the givers”. That means she is going to begin a monthly draw for a free intuitive card reading, for Abundance Elves only!

Now, I know this sort of thing isn’t for everyone, so we’re not going to make this an automatic draw. Instead, I’m asking all interested Elves to contact me by e-mail. Tell me if you would like to be added to the monthly drawing, and if so, I will forward Elviolith your Elf name and e-mail address. The winner will be contacted by Elviolith by e-mail, and I’ll probably announce it on the site, too. (The reading will be kept completely private, of course.)

How great is that? I know one name that’s going to be on that list for sure: Mine! Just check out her testimonial page to get a sense of what a cool gift this is.

Thank you so much, Elviolith. Not just for this lovely offer, but for being such a tremendously fantastic Elf. To honor you and your generosity, I’m going to go ahead and declare you winner of this week’s Elf drawing. We can go back to random drawings next week: I want this week to be all yours.

Huge big waves of luck and magic to Elviolith!

Hello dear Elves!

It’s lots of fun to give anonymous gifts to strangers but I also LOVE to give gifts to people I know and love – especially when it is not for any “special” occasion but just because my heart feels filled-to-bursting and I want to make some attempt to convey my love and gratitude.

I’ve written a bit about Shelly Benfield the last two weeks for my WAYA blog posts: She is one of my midwifery colleagues and a dear friend.

She is am amazing, caring, kind and generous person and I could fill pages singing her praises. But I will focus on this: For the last several years she has gone on many different trips (using her own money and PTO) to volunteer with Midwives for Haiti – which provides health care to communities and trains women to be midwives.

She just happened to be in Haiti at the time of the earthquake – along with her husband and 5 children (whom she had brought with her for the first time!) – and they have all worked tirelessly (Shelly’s children even kept orphans entertained with games and activities) to help people as much as they can.

She is one of the most selfless people I know and I think she will be a little embarrassed or self-conscious about receiving a gift for herself and her family. If she reads this I want her to know that she will be doing me a service by accepting it.

Words really can’t do justice to how greatly I admire and honor Shelly and her family for all the work and care and love and hope that they extended to the people of Haiti. They shine a bright light in this world wherever they go!

Words can’t do it, and neither can any token of my esteem, but I want to *do* something…so I want to send Shelly and her family to have “2 days and 1 night” all-inclusive stay at the Great Wolf Lodge (an indoor water park). I’ve let her know that if she and her family rather do something else, that’s great – but I really do want them to use the money to “treat” themselves to something. (I know they love skiing and camping, too.)

Again, I appreciate Shelly and her family SO much!!! And I am SO excited about my small token of esteem, I hope to be able to report on its being received soon!

I was all set to gift my eleventh recipient this morning, when I decided to do something totally different instead. I spent the rest of the day developing and implementing my new idea. I am very excited to share it with you, and a little nervous too.

The big development is this: As of today, YOU can start nominating people for ME to give gifts to. How cool is that?

I am honestly not sure if this a good idea, or a spectacularly bad one. It’s a grand experiment, and I want YOU to be a part of it.

The new page is titled “Nominate a Recipient“. To nominate someone, just read the page and fill out the form. Then, once every few weeks or so, I will choose one of YOUR picks rather than one of mine. I figure it’s a wonderful way to treat two people at once; both the person who receives the gift, and the person who nominated them.

I don’t know if this is anything people will be interested in. I do think it’s an idea with potential. Can you imagine a page filled with nominees, where any reader who wanted to donate to a particular person could do so? Or how about posting a poll and declaring a “reader’s choice” week? Fun!

We’ll see. I figure it’s at least worth seeing what happens. Feel free to spread the word around about this: I’d just love to be able to give all the wonderful and deserving people of the world a place where they can shine!

Have a wonderful day, and Happy Elfing!

This is so fun — I’ve been interviewed! I was interviewed this weekend by Stacey Curnow over at the fantastic “Midwife for your Life” e-zine and blog, and it just went live this morning. I’m half expecting the paparazzi to be down by my mailbox when I go to pick the kids up from school in an hour.

OK, OK, so maybe I don’t feel quite THAT famous. But it was still fun. You can read the interview here.

I also want to mention (because I know how many talented writers read and comment on this blog) that Stacey accepts articles for publication. She has actually already published a post from this blog written by Elf Serafina. She is looking for more writers “to share what it means for you to live an authentic and happy life.” For more information on how to submit an article, go here. (And if any of you are chosen for publication, be sure to let me know!)

Happy Day everyone!

Holy Heavens, is it Tuesday again? Here in the US, yesterday was a holiday, which means that today was the first day back to work and school, which means that I’ve been cruising though all day today thinking it’s Monday, which means that it is now nearly dinner-time, I’m heading out the door in a little over an hour, and I haven’t even started to write my Elf Tuesday post! Yikes! So forgive me if this is a bit harried…

Before I announce today’s winner: A big warm hearty welcome to our newest elf, ravenpixie, who joined just yesterday. Welcome ravenpixie, please make yourself at home!

On other site news, have you seen the thank you page lately? There have been several lovely new thank you’s posted in the last week for Elf gifts. *Sigh.* The Elf posts and thank you’s just make my day, every single time. Thank you, Elves, for being so wonderfully giving. And thank you recipients, for being so generous in leaving your thanks!

Also, for anyone who didn’t see it, my ninth recipient (David a.k.a. “Torman”) left his thanks today on his post. His note was as characteristically gracious, kind, and generous as the man himself. Thank you again, to the wonderful man and wonderful author David McClain!

I also want to say — and this is important, so I feel awful that I’m about to rush this — that the earthquake in Haiti has been on my mind, a LOT. It’s so hard, I think, for any of us to wrap our minds around this level of devastation. And this might just be me, but I’m going to admit that I sometimes find it strangely difficult to keep giving in a time like this. On the one hand, I have to fight the urge to give all that I have, all at once, on an impulse. On the other hand, I have to fight a feeling of total helplessness, knowing that all the money I have put together would be nothing in the face of a disaster like this. A certain frustrated ennui can set in, and I angrily think: Why bother?

Indeed: Why bother at all? Why bother with any of this?

That’s when I always think of the story about the little girl throwing starfish into the ocean. Do you all know this story? I’ve heard it a million times in a million varieties, but I’m not sure who to credit. It goes something like this:

An old man walking along the beach at low tide, sees a little girl throwing starfish into the ocean, and asks her what she’s doing. “If I don’t throw them back in, they’ll die,” she says. The old man laughs. “But don’t you see that there are miles of beach, and starfish everywhere you look? You’ll work all day and never make an ounce of difference.” To which the girl picks up another starfish, throws it back into the sea, and says, “I made a difference to that one.”

So, sure, maybe buying a man a coffee didn’t help the Haitians. But it might very well have helped that man. And maybe it didn’t help his whole life, but it might very well have helped his day. And why shouldn’t that be enough? After all, doesn’t even one small day in the life of one small person matter, perhaps very much?

I think so.

And so, I hope that all the Elves reading this today feel bolstered that what you are doing matters. One coffee, one troll bead, one dinner, one cookie, one library fine, one gift card. These things matter. I think they matter very, very much.

So, with that, this week’s $50 winner is…

dumdumdumdumdum…

Bliss!

Congrats Bliss!

And Happy Elfing, everyone. May I just end with one last HUGE thank you to all the Elves who are posting and commenting on this site: Truly, YOU are the ones who are making this such a very special and wonderful place. I am thankful to you all, beyond words.

Love, luck, and magic, coming your way!

I am so excited to finally have a story to share and to be here sharing it with you.  I’ve been walking around with the $50 and cards in my wallet for weeks just waiting for the right opportunity(s) to elf someone.

This evening, we went out for dinner and when I walked in, my eye went immediately to a table of women.  They had 2 baby car seats with them as well and it looked as though they may be having a first gathering after a new arrival or two.

There were four women in the group and they were joined a little later by a fifth.  They looked like they were having a good time…and being a mom, I know how important those dinner’s out with the girls can be…especially after a new baby.

I knew that I wanted to gift them…and while I would have loved to have given them their entire meal for free…but I figured $50 off their meal would be a total delight too. 

I asked our server who was serving that table and she sent their server over.  She took the cash and the cards and to my knowledge, kept my anonymity as requested.

I saw the ABM cards were on the table, so I trust they received their gift.

They looked like a wonderful group of women and I am delighted and so grateful to ABM for allowing me an opportunity to give something like this to others.

(Note: I have altered some of the details in this post in order to conceal this man’s location, but everything I wrote about him and what he has done to the area under the bridge is 100% true.)

There is a man in a nearby town who lives under a bridge. It’s a four-lane bridge that crosses over a wide stream and a walking path. I find myself on that path several times a week, and whenever I pass under, there he is.

The area under the bridge is paved, of course, but on either side there are patches of woods. The embankments are steep, creating a feeling of two worlds, above and below. Above is all bustle and noise: buses, trucks, endless cars, an Alamo Rent-a-Car, a Chinese restaurant, a busy coffee shop, a bike repair shop. Below, it is quieter. Leafy and green, it’s not too hard to tune into the sound of the river instead of the traffic passing overhead. When you do, you begin to notice the lushness of the forest, the birds, the wildflowers. It’s not uncommon to spot deer. You can almost feel like you’re in a sacred place.

He didn’t use to be there. It used to be that the area under the bridge was scrubby and unkempt, just a bunch of dirt and litter made impenetrable by weeds. I noticed the changes before I ever noticed the man. First, the litter disappeared. It had always bothered me to see it piled up where I couldn’t reach it; its absence was conspicuous and welcome.

Then came the flowers. Beautiful flowers, bold and red and growing in rows, carefully tended. One day there appeared a row of flower-pots, bursting with blooms. Other decorations of the lawn-art variety would appear and disappear. Once, late in the summer, a large bowl of tomatoes was placed on the balustrade of the bridge. It was there quite a while, piled high and red.

I don’t remember when he acquired the bike. But by the time fall came around this year, the bike, like the man, was a permanent fixture. I think I’ve only seen him on it once or twice. Usually, I’ll find him pacing around in tight circles, or jumping from rock-to-rock in the river. I learned that if I stooped down a little and squinted up into the shadows of the eaves, I could see the edge of a blanket, just the right length for a bed. In all this time since he made this place his home, the entire area has been kept impeccably neat and clean.

As the weather turned cold this winter, I thought about him more and more. Surely, I hoped, he spends the colder nights in one of the shelters in town? Then last week, the cold front swept the country. Temperatures here sunk almost to single digits some nights. But even on the most frigid mornings, he was there.

What could I do? What can we ever do? This town has resources for the homeless. There are plenty of places for him to shelter. There’s a library, a community center, and a homeless shelter, all within an easy walk of the bridge. Clean, quiet, and contained as he is, I don’t believe he’d be kicked out of any of these places. So why does he stay under this bridge, even on the coldest of mornings? Is it really possible that he is spending his nights there, too, tucked up in the eaves, and somehow surviving?

What I ended up doing is so paltry I’m almost embarrassed to mention it. Just a stone’s throw away from the bridge is a coffee shop. They were all out of gift cards, so I ordered one online. It finally arrived yesterday. It was 27 degrees at 7am this morning when I sent my very best Elf (my husband ) to deliver the card.

He parked in the Rent-a-Car lot and slipped down the embankment in his nice work clothes. He never saw the man himself, but the man’s bike was there, so my husband left the card on the bike, scrambled back up the embankment, and headed to work.

I walked by on the path at a little past 8am, glancing as I past under the bridge. The man was there, barely visible, sitting on his blanket in the eaves. There was no card on the bike. I’m hopeful he got his gift. I’m hopeful that he’ll use it as his ticket to a warm place. And I hope he’ll allow himself plenty of hot drinks when the cold gets to be too much.

It’s so little, but it’s what I could think of.

Thank you, man under the bridge. You keep a lovely home.

Having been officially signed up as an elf for about a month and a half now, I started wondering what was holding me up in the giving process. I knew it didn’t have to be anything big, but I felt like it had to be special at least. I kept waiting… I was opening my awareness to seeing the magic in people, to finding the good everywhere I went. I wanted the moment to feel perfect. For awhile I wasn’t even sure what to give. I knew I wouldn’t be giving away loads of cash, unless I happened to come upon some! An idea came to me to write a special note on a special card…a note to remind the recipient that they are loved and appreciated and that there is magic everywhere. I included a dollar bill as a symbol of exponential prosperity and good fortune. I created two of these little gifts and put them in envelopes.

More waiting… I’d take them around with me for several weeks…waiting for the inspiration or the right moment to show up. The right person would show themselves to me, I was sure of it. Everyone I saw seemed to have wonderful qualities, but nothing was obvious or jumping out at me. Finally, I said to myself, maybe no one is going to jump out at me! I think I just have to DO IT. So I let go of this notion that it had to feel big, special, spectacular, perfect, etc. I took the envelopes with me on a couple grocery errands. At my first stop, I noticed someone, but again, held back. I was thinking “Uh oh, I’m  chickening out!” When I went to pay for my groceries, she was in line behind me, so I took it as a sign. I gave one envelope to the bagger and asked him to put it in her grocery bag. Then I left. I have no idea what happened and it was such a rush. It’s pretty funny when I picture myself back in that moment walking casually out the door, and then as I turned the corner, booked it out of there! At my next stop, I did pretty much the exact same thing. It felt good.

So as the old saying goes, JUST DO IT. Never mind trying to make it perfect, because no matter how you end up giving, it is always perfect anyway! It felt awesome (and a relief!) to get over my fear of it not being good enough, and JUST DO IT. Now I feel free of the fear, and ready to go out and spread some more magical abundance!

Happy Tuesday everyone! Before I announce this week’s $50 giveaway winner, I have a couple quick announcements.

First: You may have noticed that the home page changed again. Instead of having a static Welcome page, I have a “sticky” Welcome post, which means that it is always on the top of the page, with all new posts added automatically underneath it. This was a suggestion from Elf Fisyr, and I’m so glad she thought of it, because it feels like the perfect balance of being accessible to the newcomers, while remaining fresh and updated for the regular readers. Thank you, Fisyr!

Second: I made an important change to the “Be an Elf” page. On the original sign-up form, I stated very clearly that there were “no strings attached” to being an Elf. And while that’s still very true when it comes to Elves giving away their own money and gifts, I have attached a “string” to the $50 giveaway money. From now on, I’m asking all weekly winners to write about the experience of giving their winnings away. (You can post it yourselves, or e-mail it to me and I can post it for you).

So, beginning with next week’s draw, I’ll expect all winners to write about what you did with the money, preferably within a few weeks of winning it. Who did you choose to receive it? And why? And how did you pull it off?

It is totally OK if you’d rather not: Just let me know so I can take your name out of future draws. You will stay an Elf, of course (once an Elf always an Elf), I just won’t add your name to the hat on Tuesdays.

I know it’s a big change. I have to admit that I resisted the idea at first. But for the long-term development of the site, I think it’s a positive change. (And, of course, this new rule doesn’t apply to this week’s winner.)

Which brings me to announce…

(drumroll…)

This week’s winner is JOY!

Congratulations, Elf Joy! Hope you have lots of fun giving it away!

Happy Elfing, everyone!

Hello all!

I’m delighted to report that I made my first gift as a bona fide elf today! I woke knowing the day was going to be extra-special because of the gift I planned to make.

I completed my usual morning routines with a sense of happy excitement. As I drove into the parking lot of my local YWCA (for some quick cardio), I parked in a space where a little girl (maybe 6?) was waiting outside her car as her mom extracted her baby out of his car seat from the other side.

I gave the girl a big smile as I parked and then turned away to gather my things. All of a sudden my door was opened and I looked over and it was the girl saying “I’ll open the door for you!” I thanked her profusely and the mom then looked up and I said, “You daughter kindly opened the door for me.”

The girl beamed and repeated, “I opened the door for the lady, mama!” The mom looked a little preoccupied with her baby and didn’t really acknowledge the girl, but I thanked her again. There were two more doors to get through until we were in to the building and guess who opened them for me?

I have never been the recipient of such kindness from a little stranger and I took it as a great sign that today was, indeed, going to be very special with lots of evidence of kindness and good will.

The funny thing is that I didn’t feel moved to give the gift card to anyone in Barnes and Noble (if you’re reading my story for the first time, the idea was that I was going to give a $10 B&N gift card to someone at Barnes and Noble today). There were some lovely people, but either my hesitation or their plans to move along more quickly precluded me extending the gift there.

The store, however, is adjacent to a mall and it has a large kid’s play area and my son expressed a wish to go there, so we did. When we got there there were dozens of kids because some schools were canceled because of snow today.

My son ran around a bit but then came back to me and said , “I wish I had a friend here.” I asked him if he’d like to make friends with some of the kids at the play area and I was just then making eye contact with a boy a little older than my son (my son adores older boys) and it turns out that he heard me and said, “I can be his friend! I’m Samuel. And I can get my other friend, too!” My son was delighted to be included in their big boy games (some very daring jumps and flips off the play structures) and they played happily for over 30 minutes.

When the boys had to go I knew I wanted to give Samuel the card for his extraordinary kindness to my son. So as they were gathering up their stuff I went to their table and briefly told their caregiver how much Samuel’s kindness had meant to us and we wanted to celebrate it with a little token of our gratitude.

They all looked at me rather quizzically and my son and I went back to playing in the play area. A couple of minutes later the boys both came running up and, with big smiles on their faces, said “Thank you!” and then when the caregiver walked by she said, “That’s so cool! Thanks!”

Again, there were many examples of kindness that delighted me all day – and I wish I had had 10 gift cards, not just the one!

What I love most about this experience is that it is so clearly reaffirms my belief that in looking for something – whatever it is – we find it.

I’m finding myself strangely apprehensive, beginning this post. I had intended to tackle it first thing this morning, but instead, I’ve been finding every excuse to put it off. First I took a long walk (even though the streets are covered in black ice, and I slid more than I strode). Then I came home and scrubbed my kitchen to a shine (even the oven!). And then of course there was laundry to fold, toys to tidy, floors to sweep, and windows to wipe. When I had run out of house chores and actually found myself organizing my address book, I knew that I was deep in a very serious fit of procrastination.

So I sat myself down and asked myself just why I am so hesitant to begin.

The answer came quickly: It’s that today’s recipient means SO much to me. This man is such a special person, and I SO badly want this post to be worthy of him. But the hard truth is that I know I can’t really do it. I don’t say that to be harsh on myself, I just know that whatever I write is going to feel inadequate, that it will fall short, and that I will be left feeling frustrated and inept. And on top of that, I only give out “bigger” gifts a few times a year, and this is one of those times. That’s a lot of pressure — no wonder I was procrastinating!

Nonetheless, I am foraging ahead, secure in the knowledge that doing this imperfectly is a far cry better than not doing it at all. And, so, here it is, my inadequate tribute to a FAR more than adequate man:

Today’s recipient is a blogger at the online magazine Open Salon. He goes by the name “Torman.” Anyone who wishes can read his entire blog here, and I do recommend it, as he is a fantastic writer. But you can get actually a remarkably good sense of him just by reading his profile:

I am a simple man who has lived a simple life for sixty years. I have not dined with movie stars nor Kings and Queens. I have not walked the halls of power, nor have I been a mover and a shaker. I have, however, been a soldier, a tinker, a jack of all trades. I have raised five children….I have been loved and I have loved. I do not see grand designs nor do I chase after them. Instead, I listen to the heartbeat of the land and I rejoice in a bird’s song in the morning. Do not come here seeking answers for I have none. I do have questions which I will ask you constantly though. I do not believe in arguing so Politics will not be discussed in my blog. I do not care what your personal beliefs are for you are free to believe as you will…please allow me to do likewise. I have never been rich, but I have always been poor. Being poor however has never stopped me from feeling rich. I feel rich because I have the love of a good woman. Melinda completes me. She gives me the peace of mind and soul required to write about life without regrets and without envy of those who might have more. She is my world. Almosta Ranch is our heaven and we are happy. This is what I want to share with you in this blog.

Needless to say, I am a huge, HUGE fan. He sometimes writes of difficult things: He is a veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome, he has faced death, strokes, and depression, and most recently (and most heart-breakingly) he is having to face the terminal illness of his beloved step-son. But somehow, even when dealing with hardships like these, he writes from a place of strength, hope, optimism, humor, and love. He is unfailingly gracious, unerringly kind, and almost shockingly humble. To top it all off, he is madly besotted with his wife and has written the kind of tributes to her that leave me in piles of tissues.

Guys, I just ADORE this man.

Check out a few of his posts for yourselves, if you’d like, beginning with some on the heavier side:

–Death is easy it’s life that’s hard
–An open letter to God
–The soul would have no rainbows if the eyes had no tears

And on the lighter side, tastes of his childhood and his everyday life at “Almosta Ranch”:

–The animals of Almosta Ranch
–Early morning remembrances
–Why fame and I will forever be strangers
–Merry Christmas from Almosta Ranch (includes pictures)

Torman, if you are reading this: I hope I am not too badly embarrassing you. I know you have the kind of natural humility that will probably make you blush at this and resist the praise. But I simply MUST let you know what an impression you’ve made on me. You have touched my heart and made me want to be a better person.

I do hope you accept my gift. You have been a true inspiration for me, and this is just my way of paying back just a tiny fraction of what I feel I’ve received. (If I could, I would add three zeroes to the end of it — and that still wouldn’t feel like enough!)

Please, though, do enjoy it. And, more importantly, know that your writing has truly touched me, and that I thank you.

Hats off to Torman, an amazing man!

(As soon as I hit “publish” on this post, I am going to contact Giving Anonymously. I have used my super-sleuth abilities to figure out his real name and phone number, so I’m guessing there won’t be any problems finding him. Fingers crossed!)

I’m soo excited to be here! My friend and fellow elf, Willow, told me about ABM when it first launched and I loved it. I have been quite busy with other pursuits and passions, so it fell off the radar until Willow mentioned it to me again last night.

She described the excitement and joy she felt as she imagined giving anonymous gifts, the way her attention, being focused on finding the recipients, seemed to create many positive exchanges and opportunities to celebrate, and finally how wonderful it felt to extend the gift.

Her enthusiasm was so contagious that I knew that I’d like to join the elves, but I just didn’t know how soon.

Then this morning I came to work and there was a Christmas card and a $10 gift card to Barnes & Noble in my locker. They were from a colleague and friend. But I felt sad to see them.

You see, my friend and I have been close for years but she became an administrator in my hospital 3 months ago and even though I have extended multiple invitations for us to get together, she always declines saying she is too busy.  So I have been struggling with my disappointment over what seems like the loss of our friendship.

I looked at the $10 gift card and imagined using it for myself and I felt bad. I decided not to think about it and put it back in my locker. A few hours later I thought, “I could give it away as an anonymous “elf” gift!” And I felt SO much better immediately! So I went to the ABM website and signed up for elf status  and now that I am an official elf, I feel so good!

So thanks so much for this wonderful community. I am so grateful that it inspired me to go from a bad feeling place to a good one – and I can’t wait to report on giving my first gift!

I’m back, I’m back! I hope you all had wonderful holidays? I did, but I’m glad to be home again, and feeling so ready — almost itchy, really — to get back into the swing of giving. I was seeing people I wanted to gift while I was away, but I was with friends or family members at all times, and as much as I was enjoying spending time with them, the lost Elfing opportunities were driving me nuts!

I’m also just bursting to tell you all about my first recipient of 2010! To celebrate the New Year, I’m going to make it a big one — one of my rare $500 recipients — and I just cannot WAIT to tell you about him. But I’m not going to, yet. I’m holding off, because today is Tuesday, and you know what that means…

It means we have a $50 Elf Giveaway winner!

At long last, it’s the spectacular, superb, stupendous, splendiferous, sensational Serafina! She has been such a warm and wonderful supporter (and contributing author) of this site since day one, I’ve been secretly hoping for her name to come up for ages. And now, it finally has, and I’m feeling like it was worth the wait to have her be the first winner of 2010. Congratulations, Serafina!

And now for even more exciting news: We have THREE new Elves! That means we now have 19 Elves from six different countries, including one who just signed up as I was beginning this post, and also including our very first male Elf, who joined on Christmas day! Each of these three sound absolutely wonderful, and hopefully you will all get to know them yourselves, through Elf Chat and blog posts.

A BIG warm welcome to elder elf, Anastasia, and Juno. We’re so glad to have you on board!

And HEAPS of luck and magic you to all!

It’s always interesting to see how things unfold. When you embark on a journey all that stretches before you is the unknown, which is part of the excitement. It’s a thrilling feeling, knowing that you are working towards something-even when that something is totally abstract. In fact, it’s almost never the destination that matters, it’s the actual journey that’s the gift. The only thing that can make it better is if you are walking the path with others and cultivating a sense of community with a common purpose that unites everyone involved.

It’s been a short time in the grand scheme of things that this site has been up encouraging us to participate in the authors endeavor. If you have spent anytime here you are aware that she has chosen to awaken the feeling of abundance in as many people as she can touch through her ever-growing network of elves. She started by gifting money to special recipients. Then, because that wasn’t enough for this big hearted lady, she began gifting weekly to her elves so that they could go forth into the world and spread the magic. It’s a “pay it forward” kind of thing that becomes infectious and takes on a life of it’s own, capitalizing (in this elf’s humble opinion) on the inherent magic of the season. In fact, many elves have stepped up, and found items, ideas and words to bestow upon others that were procured on their own time and dollar. This of course starts a ripple effect and the feeling of abundance increases exponentially as more people are touched. I myself have had multiple opportunities to “elf” people and was rewarded with brilliant smiles and wishes of holiday cheer.

What’s fascinating is that the energy in my own life has shifted completely since embarking on this journey. It’s been just a few weeks and I can see without a doubt that every ounce of effort that I’ve put out there has returned in spades. I feel happier, lighter, more prosperous and find myself actively seeking out wonderful people that need to be told that they, by virtue of the fact that they exist, are making the world a better place. I am looking for magic and finding it everywhere. And, as I am a happier person, people are taking time out from *their* lives to say wonderful things to me. I have attracted more business, and am enjoying every minute of it as well as welcoming more. I have an infinite supply of patience and love and am happy to go out of my way to help others. The joy is expansive and has touched every facet of my life. What this project has given me is priceless.

For all those that have visited this site, wondering how they can get involved I hope that the many ideas so many have shared here have sparked your interest. You don’t need a nickel to jump on this bandwagon. You can start with nothing and watch your own riches grow. You will see very quickly, as I have, that what goes around comes around.

Consider the random acts of kindness, in whatever form they take, to be investments. Every ripple you begin makes the world a more magical place, and make no mistake….magic is something we could all use a little bit more of. So do yourself a favor. Take some time over the next few weeks to open your heart and give. Give whatever you have to give, even if it’s just a smile to someone who needs it. Then quietly watch how quickly it spreads, knowing that you are part of something much bigger and have gratitude that you have the power to make such a difference.