The Season of Giving (Our Time, Talents and Treasures)
Secret Santa, White Elephant, Yankee Swap, you name it. If there’s a way to give a gift, you will find it around the holiday season. Though it can sometimes be difficult, I love searching far and wide to find the “perfect gift” for these exchanges. This includes some nonchalant conversations, window shopping, and yes, even some Facebook stalking! Finding that gift that can make my friends smile, laugh, or even both makes my heart full of joy. So when my residence hall floor announced that they would be having a Secret Santa, with a little coercing, I signed up to join to the fun. To my luck, the name I was given was a familiar one: Amber. Amber was a former Kansas FFA member that I was lucky enough to meet at Washington Leadership Conference (WLC) when we traveled together to D.C. Coincidentally when we arrived at K-State this past fall, we were both placed on the same floor in the same hall (friendships made in FFA always pop up)!
Amber and I taking a night vision picture at the Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.!
Thanks to the sheet that was provided, I learned that Amber loved “The Office” and enjoyed a good old bottle of water. After spending some time searching for the perfect quote from the show, obtaining a frame, and buying the fanciest of waters, I had my gift assembled. After the exchange was over, I got to thinking a little more about gift giving, and how I could give it all to others in my life.
This year, I was introduced to the concept of good stewardship. There are three things that a good steward should give: their TIME, their TALENTS and their TREASURES. Lucky for me, I’ve met some cool groups who are modeling all three for us in the FFA!
TIME= Our Advisors
These are the individuals who come into the classroom when the sun rises and usually don’t leave until it sets. The time that all of our advisors put in to ensure that we are able to experience everything Ag. Ed. and FFA has to offer is incredible, and we would not be where we are today without that time that they invested in us.
TALENTS= Our Members
I can honestly say that I have seen some unique talents this year from each member I’ve interacted with so far! From facilitation, public speaking, creativity, to running incredibly well while blindfolded, our members can pretty much do it all. These talents are what make our organization so diverse, and members are putting them to use in the classroom, through their SAE and even in their communities.
TREASURES= Our Sponsors
The reason we are able to do such a wide variety of programs and experience the entirety of the agricultural industry is because of our amazing partnerships and sponsors. They help to ensure that the future of agriculture is bright, and we cannot thank them enough for giving their treasures to our organization.
My teammates and I have witnessed countless acts of stewardship from advisors, members and sponsors this year so far. Though it may seem easy to simply give one of the three, this holiday season, and throughout the rest of the year, let’s work to give all three gifts to our families, communities and FFA chapters. Because just like they put it in “Toy Story That Time Forgot”, the joy that you give to others is the joy that will come back to you!
Happy Holidays!