GIFTS: The very best kind

As we approach this holiday season and everyone is hustling about trying to find that perfect gift, I ask myself, is there such as thing? There is, it is the gift of time!

For me I recognize that my time shared with an elderly individual reviewing their life stories is worth more than all my dollars could hope to spend on an empty gift that next year will have long been forgotten.

We have the opportunity to give of ourselves. Sitting with someone providing them with a caring, open ear for the most precious of lives adventures to be recapped.

On Veterans Day and I was reminded through my co-workers that have served or have family members who served in various past wars as to all the stories they have welled up inside of them. What a gift it would be to sit with an elderly Vet and enjoy reflecting with them — the good and the bad of these incredible experiences.

There are dozens of retirement, assisted living, shelters and senior centers that are begging for volunteers. You can serve, chat, read and listen to this population that is becoming more and more undervalued and often times viewed as a burden.

I would encourage you to extend yourselves as available to one of these many well-deserving organizations. You will be blessed in ways you would never have imagined just by being available and lending an ear. It truly will give great meaning to this holiday season!

JANET MARCHANT

Post Falls