Gifts

This evening we're enjoying the New Year's Concert from Vienna, Austria. We watch this concert every year. It's enchanting! The orchestra plays the music of the Strauss family, Johann and his 2 sons. The ballet also dances to a few numbers that the orchestra plays. This year's host is Julie Andrews. It's her first time as host. Usually, Walter Cronkite has the honors. Julie is giving a lot of history about each piece and the composer. It's interesting, but I'd rather have less of the history presented in such a dry manner, and more of the music or dance which is exciting and exhilarating.
I've been noticing the members of the orchestra as the camera pans over them. It's a truly handsome group of men and women. Individually, a few of them stand out as being more handsome than the others. What talent they have! I'm sure there has been a lifetime of practice on their instruments. I believe that musical talent comes easier to some than to others. The ones who excel have a "bent" for music. It's almost part of their DNA. What a great gift to be given, the ability to make music that other people enjoy listening to. It's often said that each of us has been given gifts by our creator. I never stopped to think about what "gifts" I've been given, in that way. There have always been things to be thankful for, but which are our gifts? That's something to think about as this New Year begins. I bet it's not an easy list to come up with. One gift I know I don't possess is the "gift of gab". Maybe one gift is that of being a good listener. This question has sort of intrigued me. I'm going to see what I can add to the list. Are we given one great gift, like musical talent? Or, are we given many smaller gifts, like the gift of gab, for instance? I'd like to know what you think about the "gifts" we we're given by God. I don't mean the obvious gifts, like family, friends, but the ones we're not aware of until we give it some thought.