A Gift of Time

THIS IS THE SEASON of gift-giving. Christmas is just around the corner! It's only natural for most of us, once again, to begin to think about the giving of gifts. Often, names of recipients are put on a list. Then, we start the process of making the decisions of what to give each listed individual. Many of us soon discover that this procedure is usually neither quick nor easy.

A few, perhaps overly-organized folks, make plans for gift-giving and actually shop and purchase items several months in advance. Others make no advance plans at all. They are impulse buyers who hope to find items at the last-minute - perhaps as late as Christmas Eve! It is probably safe to assume that most of us are somewhere between these two extremes. Perhaps the majority of us complete the planning process, and the buying of gifts, from around Thanksgiving until about the 21st of December.

Of course, the consideration of the type of gift is very important. Will it be an article of clothing? Should it be a decorative item? What about something good to eat? Perhaps something for the home or office? How about a piece of equipment? Would an electronic gadget work? What about a book? Maybe a gift certificate? Is it possible that a check, or some cash, would delight the recipient? Any of these - plus a huge list of other possibilities - might make great gifts. However, none of these may be the perfect gift.

Have you ever thought about giving a gift of time? It can be given with nothing else. It can be given in addition to a tangible gift. It can be given during the Christmas season, of course, but also at any other time of the year. It might be a short visit of only thirty minutes; it may last for an hour or more; or it may stretch-out for a day or more. But, giving of yourself - your time, your focus, your attention - at least comes very close to being the perfect gift. Below are some examples.

Our son took off work and flew over 2,000 miles to spend most of three days with a former professor and mentor who was dying of cancer. It was a gift of time to the gentleman who passed away three weeks later.

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A friend of mine visited with a man who was celebrating his birthday at age 103. This gentleman was the oldest living person who had seen my friend as a baby soon after birth. It was a gift of time.

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My wife picked-up a friend at a health clinic while it was necessary for the friend's husband to be at work. The friend also needed to be taken to a place of business before being transported home. It was a gift of time.

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On several occasions, I have walked across the street to visit with an 88 year-old neighbor. We have sat, talked about anything and everything, and we have laughed. Those occasions were gifts of time.

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Gifts of time may not cost us anything other than minutes or hours, however they are most often highly valued and deeply appreciated by the recipient. There's even a good chance that giving of your time may be the perfect gift in a particular situation. Perhaps it is - at the very least - something to be considered as a worthwhile use of our leisure.