I recently watched a movie called “The Road.” It’s a story of a long distance bus service operating in a remote mountain region of China. As the scenery and the actors passed before my eyes, my mind took me back to my childhood. The unspoiled green fields, the clear water streams running through the rocks, the ancient stone bridges. Each scene showed the simplicity of life. The people traveling on the bus didn’t have much, but it was clear they had spirit. A spirit that shone every time they talked with each other, when they greeted new travelers, when they helped each other and graciously shared what little food they had. They were living lives pure in happiness.
As they traveled along one section of the remote road, they found an injured man. The bus stopped and the travelers continued their acts of gracious giving, jumping out of the bus to help the hurt man. This instant community of friends tended to the man’s wounds and worked to nurse him back to health. Watching the movie just now reinforced what I love so much about Wei East. While we all appreciate outer beauty, we really celebrate our inner beauty much more. The soul of Wei East is rooted in community, in the natural simplicity of life and in pure happiness. We give graciously to ourselves and to each other without expectations.
To be able to give graciously, please make sure you give to yourself first. Invest in your happiness and do the things that you want to do, not things that you think you must do. When you’re happy, you’ll be able to give all things graciously, whether your gift is a smile or something even bigger.
