I was just minding my own business one morning—going through my email, making my to-do list, getting ready for the day—when I saw the draft email announcing our latest Conversation guide. I’m a picky proofer, so that immediately captured my interest. I read the draft, found no errors and was about to close the email when I noticed the DONATE button at the bottom. I immediately clicked on it, then clicked on the little box next to the amount that caught my eye, filled in the payment information, and hit the submit button. It took about three minutes.

After I closed the donation window, I thought, “Well, that felt good!” I realized I hadn’t made a conscious decision to give. I simply knew that the time was right. It was a lot like a spontaneous hug or kiss for someone I love—and it gave me the same warm feeling.

We all have our own ways of knowing when the time is right. For me, it’s like listening for the moment when a guitar string comes into tune—or tasting the soup to notice when all the ingredients are in balance. Developing a sense of knowing when it’s time to give is like any other thing we do. The more we do something, the more skilled we become and the more comfortable we feel when we take action. And remembering those times when giving brought us joy helps fine-tune our knowing in a way that frees us to be confidently spontaneous.

I love Living Room Conversations, and I like knowing that I can give a “hug” to support this practice. If you love Living Room Conversations, I hope you’ll consider a gift to help us do what we do—or just realize that this is the time and click on that button.

Linda Taylor
Faith Communities Partner
Living Room Conversations

PS: Click here to join the online Living Room Conversation, “Free Speech, Fighting Words, and Violence, on January 7th–our first online Conversation of the year! Stay tuned to this weekly email for many more.