Sunday, September 9, 2012

Service to Others

I have often thought about what it means to be of service to others.  Does it mean to join the Peace Corp and go off to another country?  I guess it could but the meaning for me is that while I am blooming where I am planted, I will do my best every day to help a friend in need.  It might mean cooking a meal when a friend is sick or taking food when someone dies or it might mean being available when someone needs a shoulder to cry on or just to talk.  There are many needs and many ways to help.
In my work with the Alzheimer's Association people often comment that I get to live my life in service to others and I do, but so do many in our lives.  Yesterday I dropped by to visit a friend that I have not known for long.  She invited me in and through our conversation she touched on some pearls of wisdom that really helped me to shift my thinking and my direction.  I have felt stuck this summer and not really in touch with my heart or my spirit. My new friend was definitely providing a service to me through her words and thoughts.  She probably had no idea that her words would lift me off dead center and enable me to move forward.  I am grateful to her.
One of my mentors and teachers told me to pay attention to things people do and say around me and I will receive lessons from those things.  Sometime it is just a gentle smile or a hug that tells us we are not alone.  Other times it is a friend who is willing to confront us so that we can change a behavior that might be hurtful and yet we were unaware.  There are gifts and blessings surrounding us daily if we just notice and be grateful.

1 comment:

  1. It is important to share what is in our hearts because it might make a difference to someone

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