It’s NOT just about YOU
Although I feel my life is one big blur and that I am going in a thousand different directions, I also feel as if I am standing still. As a single parent balancing all that I have to balance is challenging. With my own responsibilities and the never-ending cycle of extra-curricular activities three teenage girls can get into; it can make it difficult to even focus on anyone outside my own “private world”. Even when everything around me seems to be going haywire, I know that I HAVE to find the time to do something that will make someone else live or feel better. I encourage and instill in my children and others the idea that this is… what is right, not only for the community but for ourselves.
In the midst of all that my work day may include I know that I made a commitment to deliver meals one Wednesday a month to the sick and shut-in of our community. So come snow, rain, sleet, blazing heat, I know that I have to make sure that the clients of the Kling Center are going to receive their daily lunch. Many times I have thought, “Oh its ok for me to miss today, someone will cover it,” but am I really sure they will? No. So I often grudgingly grab my keys and head out, but by the time I get there I am so ready to make someone smile or laugh as I do my small part. Some may ask what do you get out of it. The smiles and words of thanks are enough, because I know I made a difference at that moment in someone’s life.
I solicit my kids to volunteer at my job or civic functions when I can and always have them doing something at church to help someone else. I have encouraged my extended family to participate in some shape or form at various times in the work that Metro United Way does. I suppose being of service to our community is deeply rooted in our family tradition. My dad has prepared Metro United Way’s annual staff Thanksgiving luncheon for the past couple of years and what is left over is donated to a nursing facility that has been in the community for many years. My brother volunteered to assist with the clean up after hurricane Ike and when the windstorm of 2008 hit our community; he completed damage assessment through the Newburg community for Metro United Way’s Wind Warriors program. Each year he gives back by coordinating Newburg’s Community Day festival. My families commitment to giving back is the reason I view this as a personal responsibility and is something I am extremely proud to pass on to my children. I invite each of you reading this to start a “Legacy” of commitment and service to the community with your children, friends, and extended family. If you are not already involved, ask yourself why. We all have many things on our plates, but in the end it’s not about YOU. It’s about the bigger picture and what you DO for others. I ask that you dig deeper than you ever thought imaginable. Be your brothers’ keeper, give back and do more. Be the stand up person you want the world to see… If you volunteer even in the midst of complete and utter chaos I promise you … you will feel better for doing it.
As we are now several weeks into the New Year, with a new President seeking change and encouraging volunteerism, we all need to look within ourselves. Then ask, “How can I do and be better… Then ACT on it…
Giving back is the answer. God Bless.
