“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibres connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibres, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.”
~ Herman Melville
Back when I was blogging every day, Thursdays were reserved for “Thankful Thursdays” where I wrote about gratitude, appreciation and forgiveness. I still do highlight these topics in my blogs because they have made a huge difference in my life and made me realise that once you stop obsessing about our own issues; that energy can be better directed to helping others manifest their potential. Through helping others you gain the strength, wisdom and power to push past your own challenges.
Whatever free time I have is spent volunteering, that simple sacrifice allows me to reach out to strangers who I otherwise would never have met. You may have read this before but after having so many doors close on me when I first moved to Scotland, I made the conscious decision that if I wasn’t able to get paid for my time then I’d give away for free. Back home my job called for me to be the presence of my organisation which led to doing a lot of volunteer work, my grandmother always told us you don’t have to be paid for everything, something you should do out of the goodness of your heart.
Volunteering is a bit Ilike blogging on a different scale, through my blogs I touch the lives of people around the world and vice versa. Many of the people I communicated with through my blog I would NEVER have connected with in a million years if it were not for the internet. Human connection whether tangible or virtual adds value to your life and the lives of people you touch. If you’re not sure about how to connect with other, either in your relationships, through blogging or volunteering as yourself these simple questions.
- What can I contribute to this person’s live?
- What need can be met by my presence in their life?
- What changes can I bring to their wellbeing?
You’ll be surprised the difference a card, a phone call or meal can make in the life of someone else. Don’t just look at what you’re doing for that person, be aware of that person’s contribution to your own life as well.
~Happy Friday
©Etta D. Richards
Oh Etta D, I love this!!!! Thank you for contributing it to Forgiving Fridays. I’m about to do my next post, so I’ll include it as an update.
Your service is a blessing unto this world, Etta D. I know that inside of me by the questions that you ask. Truly from the heart. I love you.
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Thank Debbie!! xxxx
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