This past Christmas, I wanted to give the woman who cleans my apartment a nice gift in appreciation. Since I know she doesn't have much money, I decided to write her a generous check so she could use it however she wanted, and enclosed it in an attractive large size card with a photo of a cat and dog on the cover (she loves animals). The card came with a nice message, but I also added a personal message in which I thanked her for all the good services she's provided me, wished her the best for the coming year, and for her dreams coming true. When I gave her the card with the check inside, tears of gratitude rolled down her face when she saw my message, before she even saw the check! She said, "You took the time to write me a personal message; now I feel really loved". I'm going to save this card for the rest of my life!" I felt so moved by her heartfelt response. This reminded me that what people really want is to be acknowledged and appreciated, and to know that they matter. This is what's really important when giving a gift, not the monetary value....in this case obviously it wasn't about the money, it was about making a genuine heart connection.
