Always Be Gift Ready

A woman in your church finds out her dad is dying of cancer, she needs to go back and forth between her family and her dad and you know she needs help.  Trouble is, you aren't sure what to do.

Its a friend's birthday and you don't want to just get a gift card, but you aren't sure what to get and its too late to get clues without being super obvious.   What do you do?

A co-worker got dumped and its having a rough morning.  You would love to show up with a treat, but you aren't sure their go-to comfort food or drink and you feel it will ruin the surprise to ask.  So how do you get her something without being awkward and asking?

I have an answer.  Its called notes.  Your phone contact list has a note category.  Its the perfect place to keep track of those things the people in your life love.  Maybe you get a favorites list off Pinterest and give it to all your friends then add it to their contact so you have it when you need it.  Or maybe you just ask questions and take notes.  Either way, doing this will make you not only a great gift giver but a considerate person.

The key is knowing ahead of time.

So maybe you find out what you can do to help before they need it.  Sure you can always take someone a meal going through a hard time, but sometimes you want to do something different and in the age of food allergies, it can be a challenge sometimes to take a meal.  So finding out what you can do to lighten the load is important.

This past month I got two stand out gifts.  One had me a hot mess on Instagram Live.  I didn't win the lottery or anything and the gift wasn't even purchased.  My mom sent me something I wanted and didn't even know it because she was listening to a conversation of me just sharing a childhood memory that I tried to recreate, even though I didn't have the bowl I had as a kid.  She sent me the bowl and I melted into the floor and felt like the most loved person on the planet.

The day after Christmas a friend and I went out shopping for the clearance deals.  I talked with her about a vintage Santa mug I wanted but realized it too late and everywhere is sold out.  Two weeks later she showed up to church with a gift bag and guess what was in it.  A Santa mug.  So sweet.

One of the easiest things to find out is what someone's Starbucks drink or go-to drink is.  I was headed to a friend's house and told her I was stopping at Starbucks on the way.  I not only got her a drink, but made note in my contacts of her order so that a few months after that, she was having a bad day, I could show up with a drink.  It made her day.

A few years ago I got my sister and her husband's favorite treats via email and saved it for future reference so I can bless them from time to time with what they love.  Life is busy and crazy but being a thoughtful person is important and the best way to be there is to listen, ask questions and take notes!

Another friend just lost her sister.  We were talking and she mentioned the day of the funeral.  I wasn't able to go, but made note in my calendar so I could text her that morning and let her know I was thinking about her.

Little things make a big difference and if you start doing this, it won't take big effort.

We got this!!!