It’s the time of year that we become the most giving, thoughtful, and concerned citizens, friends, and relatives we can be.

It’s a time to set ourselves aside a bit and give to others. I love that. I wish the holiday season truly lasted for the whole year, in that respect. I wish we always would think first about others and how we can give more of ourselves.

It’s a time of the year, too, when we have many more opportunities than ever to give to our community — either our time, our money, or donations of food and clothes. The non-profit sector, including Stillwaters and all the others, knows the holiday season engenders a giving spirit, so we create all the many opportunities for you to channel your generosity. Which is great! This, too, is something that I think needs to continue throughout the year, and, in fact, it does. But it swells to an overwhelming crescendo during the holidays. There are so many worthwhile needs highlighted this time of year that it can be daunting.

In most of my life as staff at Stillwaters and as a member of Kingston Rotary, I am surrounded by people who are constantly giving generously to the community. They are people who truly know that much of our place in life is not centered on ourselves, but on how we support our community. They are people who know that our own well-being depends entirely on the health and sustainability of the community. And that community health, that common health, depends upon all of us recognizing the enormous importance of “the common good.”

The sustainability of our community, whether we are talking about Kingston, Kitsap, or all of Earth, depends on each of us giving up our individual orientation, at least a bit. Of course we need to take care of ourselves, but we need to always think of the larger good, the needs of the whole community. And we need to think about the whole community first, not as an after-thought or something we do only if there’s extra time, or it’s easy, or it’s fun.

So if you have read this far, I am probably preaching to the choir. But, the choir needs to lead by example, and preach a little to others, too. There is so much commotion over the holidays about satisfying ourselves with the perfect holiday for us and our family. It is a critical time of year for us to rise above that commotion to remind ourselves and others about the importance of the common — the community — the Earth.

Thanks for leading by example, and thanks for being a vocal choir member.