Giving isn’t just monetary; there are opportunities to give our time, to share our talents, our abilities, to make meals, to help friends as well as soon-to-be new friends who we know need a hand. There are ways to give from the heart at every turn of the calendar, clock face and sun rising. Giving of oneself is a way to truly show gratitude for life’s bounty! For it is by our acknowledgement of how truly blessed we are in all manners and ways, that we grow in our desire to share with others our blessings of all kinds!

I enjoy baking, cooking and providing comfort for others, so when I have that opportunity, I do so with a happy heart and a glad spirit! I often bake dozens of cookies for a local long-term care nursing facility at Christmas, as the patients and staff appreciate such gestures. Whatever way it is that you can give from the heart to all those around you, can truly provide a great way to share with others the many blessings in which your life has been enriched! Some of us are amply blessed monetarily, and so we have the chance to share in money. Others have time to give to people who need a hand, and so they share their time by being a blessing to others. Some might make gifts or treasures by which they might either directly offer gifts or raise funds.

Gratitude in spirit always leads to giving, for it is only in sharing that we can truly appreciate the value and meaning of our blessings! God has been so good to us, providing all His richness of bounty to us over our lifetimes in the form of materials goods, possessions, comforts and wealth; our gratitude and giving is the way we exemplify our stewardship for those treasures to Him!