Calendar Books by Allen James - Daily Reading - "The Journey: A Calendar Book"

From Allen James', The Journey: A Calendar Book we read for December 8th,

 "Give freely of your time, money, and abilities" (James, 2012).

In today's world, which seems ever more busy and filled than ever before, giving freely of anything at all seems a large order.  With loved ones and work taking so much of our days, any "free-time" is considered just this, "FREE-TIME" for us.

However there are those, like I, who can only take so much "free-time" before I'm "bored" and looking for something constructive to do...(Recall those long snow days as a child which turned into a week or more?  Most were bored after 2 days at home ready to return to school and to our friends).

I've addressed volunteering in previous postings and cannot emphasize enough the benefits of the giving back of our time to our community.  As adults we can truly see what this very community gave us as we were growing up;  from school to 4H, from church involvement to Little League.

The giving of our time can  usually be afforded, but when it comes to the giving of our money most cringe at the very thought.  Most of us don't consider ourselves wealthy; in fact most, more than likely, consider themselves as needy, or at the very least barely getting by.  How are we supposed to give of our money?  Of course, actually we do through our paychecks in the form of taxes.  Nearly a third of our compensation for our toiling goes to help the needy and maintain infrastructure in the United States, and there are always the local 4-way stops for one cause or the other, as well as the local school's fundraisers.  Rest assured, most of us do our part and more in this arena.

The giving of our abilities doesn't always come easy either; Many never recognize their abilities, but we all possess them.  Seeking out what it is we can contribute to the society in large is vital for personal success and a life of positivity;  it helps others and provides a wealth of benefit to our need for acceptance and self-concept.

Give freely of your time, money, and abilities....and as always,

Keep looking up. :)  AJ