Everyone has a gift.
I don't mean the kind of gift wrapped up in pretty paper and opened on special occasions, although those are certainly nice. Rather, I mean a gift as in a talent.
One person may have the gift of a remarkable memory while another has the gift of athleticism. Others, like my mother, have the gift of gab and can strike up a meaningful conversation with anyone they encounter anywhere. I do love watching her in action :-)
As for me, my gift is music. No, I'm not of concert pianist quality, but I've been hired to play piano at weddings and church services as well as parties...it's something that I have a bit of a knack for and that's always given me great enjoyment.
Fortunately for me, my mother, who is also quite musically gifted, made sure I had the opportunity as a child to develop these skills, as you can see from the picture on the right...yep, that's me back when my feet could barely reach the pedals! The picture on the left is also me. My dad, who took the photo, clearly has the gift of humor.
I believe gifts, both talents as well as the wrapped up kind, are meant to be shared with others. So once a week I head over to the Champaign County Nursing Home where I get to play piano and accompany about 10 volunteer singers, mostly retired folks, while the residents of the nursing home listen and/or sing along. It's a way for me to do something I love while sharing my gift with people who really need and appreciate that interaction.
There are plenty of ways to share your own gifts, no matter what they are. If your gift is storytelling, then perhaps you would enjoy being a friend of a resident at a nursing home and reading to that person once a week. Maybe you're good with arts and crafts and would enjoy volunteering at The I.D.E.A. Store here in Champaign. Or perhaps you're a natural at teaching and could be an after-school tutor for underprivileged children.
Everyone has a gift. And the very best gifts are those shared with others.
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