Tammy Letherer 
I was standing at my kitchen sink this morning, washing dishes and looking at an affirmation card I have stuck on my refrigerator that says the givingness of life never leaves me. It got me thinking.
First, I wondered, is “givingness” even a word? I looked it up and yes, it is, except in the Scrabble dictionary. I’m not sure what the Hasbro company has against givingness, but the more I focus on it, the happier I feel.
I think about the many unexpected, surprising ways life gives to me. One of my favorite stories of divine givingness is in my memoir. I share how hard it was, in the process of divorcing, for me to let go of my house.
That house held a lot of pain. It was where my life fell apart. The dining room floor was where I slid to my knees when my husband told me he was leaving. I knew I needed to get out, start fresh, but I was worried about where I would live and how I would support myself.
One day I answered a knock and found a man with a clipboard standing at my door. He explained that he worked for a service that files appeals with the city for property tax refunds. Apparently, Chicago homeowners can be overtaxed and most never know that they can request a review and reimbursement of overpayment. He told me that if I simply signed his form, I would likely get a check, minus his company’s percentage.
I signed the paper, figuring I had nothing to lose, and soon forgot all about it until the day I opened the mail to find a check for seven hundred dollars.
Thank you, unknown clipboard man. Thank you, City of Chicago.
Granted, having money arrive on my doorstep was an extreme example of givingness. I wish life could be one grand gesture after another. Instead, I worry that those big moments only desensitize me to subtle, everyday miracles.
Because too often I forget what the affirmation card is telling me: that life’s givingness never leaves me. I forget about magic, especially at this time of year when winter has worn me down and made me dull. I forget that life has been patiently waiting to burst forth in every color of the rainbow; that the sun, which was shining all along, is ready to uncover its face and dazzle me.
Thank you, Spring, for finally arriving and reminding me that there is an endless supply of everything: creativity, ideas, connections, surprises, even joy.
If you too could use a reminder that the givingness of life never leaves you, here are three things you can do:
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Go outside and sit in the sun.
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Give the world the gift of your expression: write, sing, dance.
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Send an email to the official Scrabble players dictionary telling them to add the word givingness!
(Oh, and don’t forget the thank yous!)
