Gift of Time

Dear Santa,

For Christmas this year I would like...

Hmmm...have your children written a letter to Santa yet? I imagine they probably have since Christmas is only but a mere two days away! I wonder what they put on it? I imagine lots of really cool stuff like toys, games, bikes or some other new flashy technology things that I have no idea about!

But I am curious...

Apart from all the physical gifts your children are after, I wonder what else they really want but don't necessarily have the language to write yet in a letter to Santa?

Life, these days, is busy for everyone. The scarcity of time is something everyone talks about.

I don't have enough time to do this... I don't have enough time to do that..

I don't have enough time to fit this in... I don't have enough time to go there...

There are not enough hours in a day! (Oooooh! That's a big one!)

Have you felt this too?

Me too! And it is something I have noticed I say a lot!

There actually IS enough time...if it is important enough!

The reality is - is that life is busy. Everybody is flat out doing a million and one things on their to-do lists, for work and home and everyone else and trying to get it all done and fit it all in! Especially at this time of the year and in the days that lead up to Christmas and New Years.

Often in the madness of our days, we forget about this one little thing:

Time is our Greatest Resource!

Time is FREE but it's PRICELESS. You can't OWN it but you can USE it.

You can't KEEP it but you can SPEND it.

Once you've lost it, you can never get it back. (Harvey Mackay)

We always hear people talk about how life is short and how time is precious but how often do we really take the opportunity to offer the gift of our time?

Why is it a gift?

Because it can't be returned or replaced. When you give someone the gift of your time, you are giving them a portion of yourself and of your life that you will never get back and that's what makes it precious.

Whether we are giving our time or receiving it from others, our goal is to embrace it and be present, in the moment, not on our phones or thinking of all the other things we have to do! (I will admit - I have definitely been guilty of both!) Because let's face it - the person who is giving you their time also has a very long to-do list as well!

Every day is a perfect gift of time for us to use. We have 24 hours waiting for us to fill them in whichever way we choose! And really...years from now, that gift that you spent money on and still wasn't sure if it was the right one or the how much money you have in your bank or on your credit card or what type of car you drove won't matter at all.

What will matter is how the world will be different because of how you spent your time and who you gifted it to.

As for our kids -

Tomorrow they will be one day older. You won't have this day with them ever again in this lifetime. So I encourage you -

- to pay attention,

- remember to breathe as they are still learning about life,

- enjoy today

- take some time out of your crazy busy day to play!

Because today will be over before you know it!

What would you ask for in your letter to Santa?!