Charlene Costanzo (author of The Twelve Gifts From the Garden) would like us to be kind without expecting anything in return.

“Treat everyone with politeness and kindness, not because they are nice, but because you are.” – Roy T. Bennett
It’s easy to be nice to the nice. Or, as the M.A.S.H. character, Frank Burns, put it, “It’s nice to be nice to the nice.”
But being nice to the grumpy, the mean, the sarcastic, the critical – the unkind – well, that often takes extra effort. But it’s effort worth taking.
Most likely those with an unkind demeanor are those most in need of kindness, so let’s just choose to be kind to all…for our own good and the good of all.
Loving too,
Charlene

THE ELEVENTH GIFT IS LOVE.
It will grow each time you give it away.
from The Twelve Gifts of Birth
Celebrating 20 Years
The Twelve Gifts from the Garden
Life Lessons for Peace and Well-Being
Translating the beauty of botany. If you look closely, plants sprout with willpower and bloom with determination. Drawing from the beautiful nature of trees and flowers, Charlene crafts garden-inspired messages from her experiences with healing and understanding. Inside, find quotes, reflections, and bonus material:
- Pen-and-ink line drawings with illustrations of flowers, leaves, and garden plants
- Charlene’s Twelve Gifts resource and lessons learned in the garden
- An epilogue from two other locales─Sedona, AZ and St. John, VI