"Over generosity is often met with crass ingratitude"

This is a refrain from the odù Ifá Ogunda-Obara, which I recently reviewed with my Master-Teacher Awo Ifakunle. As we are focused on being thankful, a number of the stories of this odù speak of ingratitude, the forgetting of favors and other such occurrences that many of us experience all too often. Some of us may believe we are "too nice" and therefore get taken advantage of. Some of us may feel unappreciated, like we give and give and give and never get back – at least not from the ones we have given to. The lack of reciprocity in some of our dealings can make us feel like we just don’t want to give any more. Have you ever felt like that?

Though we may all feel unappreciated or unreciprocated at times, remember that your efforts at spreading positive energy and helping others are never in vain! Give freely of yourself, without expectations, without thoughts of getting anything back, completely detached from any outcome other than putting positivity into the universe. The blessings will come! Perhaps not from where you expect or where you think they should come from, but they do come. As someone who consistently gives of myself and who is consistently blessed abundantly, I know this to be true. Trust in your divine positivity, trust in the sacrifice you make when you help others and trust that you will be blessed beyond your wildest imaginings.