Thanksgiving! It’s a time for caring. It’s a time for sharing.

As we turn our thoughts to the Thanksgiving celebration, let us remember how much we have to be thankful for. How grateful we all should be to be living in a beautiful world. And to be able to see and enjoy the flowers and trees that surround us. How thankful we should be to be able to communicate with each other. How grateful we should be for the skills, the attributes, and the talents that we have.

But what are we doing with our talents? Are we sharing them with other people? Do you have skills as a mechanic? Are you sharing those skills by offering to help a neighbor with a problem that he cannot fix? That he knows nothing about?

Perhaps you were a teacher or a tutor. It’s not too late to give of your time and talent to a local school or to your church.

So many of the Winter Texans share their skills with us. Thank you for your time and talent. Let us follow their example.

There is a parable in the Bible where a Master while is going away for a while gives three servants their wages in advance to care for things while he is gone. Two of the servants invest the wages and double them while the Master is gone. The third buries his wages and when the Master returns, he has only what the Master gave him.

What is this parable telling us? If we consider that wages could be our skills and attributes, then this parable is surely telling us not to hide or bury our skills, but to share them with others. When we share with others, not only does the receiver benefit, but the giver receives satisfaction and joy from the giving themselves.

Unfortunately, we live in an area where many families have difficulty in providing the necessities for their children. We should all be proud to live in a community that cares for others.

Some of our local stores realize this need and offer a special day of shopping for the youth of the family. Each child is allowed a certain amount to spend. Generally, a local volunteer helps the child to choose the items they need or want. Most spend their allotment on clothing. And perhaps, one coveted toy.

A local grocery store shares by hosting a Thanksgiving meal for all those who might not have enough money to purchase turkey and trimming that so many of us take for granted.

During this Thanksgiving season, let us all give thanks for what we have. Look inward, find your talent, and share it with others.

Happy Thanksgiving!