Those living in a constant state of poverty know how a small amount of generosity can go a long way.
Linda is a woman I met in the Appalachian region almost two years ago during a spring break service trip. Her hair was pure gray streaked with white, shoulder length and pulled back in a low pony tail. She wore baggy shorts, a loose fitting tee and flip flops. Her home was a small wore-down trailer at the end of a dirt road were she lived with her daughter, son-and-law and two grandchilren.
Linda and her grandchildren were the only ones I met. Linda's daughter was ill with cancer and was bed-ridden, which was why myself and other volunteers where there. We volunteered to supply all materials and build a ramp for Linda and her family so that her daughter could be wheeled out of the trailer for hospital visits.
In our group of volunteers were two men with experience with carpentry, a woman who had volunteered for re-building sites and myself, a first time volunteerer whom had never held a hammer in my life.
That day, I learned to hammer nails and saw wood but more importantly, I learned to laugh at myself. Linda didn't care that I'd never built anything out of wood in my life, all that mattered was my effort and volunteering my time to help.
Once the ramp was completed, it had to be tested. Linda's grandson took his tricycle for a spin down the slope and all was well--mission completed. Linda took each of our hands in her own and thanked us. She had tears in her eyes and said a few words summed up in, "Bless you".
Building a ramp seemed such a small thing to do. We couldn't help the family pay their medical bills or give them a better home but we could make at least one thing in their life better. And that one thing, the ramp, made their life that much brighter because it reminded them that they're never alone in their struggles.
We all have a chance to give a small amount of generosity and we all have a chance to be a friend, to be a neighbor, to be an inspiration and to be a volunteer.
What's your story?
Linda is a woman I met in the Appalachian region almost two years ago during a spring break service trip. Her hair was pure gray streaked with white, shoulder length and pulled back in a low pony tail. She wore baggy shorts, a loose fitting tee and flip flops. Her home was a small wore-down trailer at the end of a dirt road were she lived with her daughter, son-and-law and two grandchilren.
Linda and her grandchildren were the only ones I met. Linda's daughter was ill with cancer and was bed-ridden, which was why myself and other volunteers where there. We volunteered to supply all materials and build a ramp for Linda and her family so that her daughter could be wheeled out of the trailer for hospital visits.
In our group of volunteers were two men with experience with carpentry, a woman who had volunteered for re-building sites and myself, a first time volunteerer whom had never held a hammer in my life.
That day, I learned to hammer nails and saw wood but more importantly, I learned to laugh at myself. Linda didn't care that I'd never built anything out of wood in my life, all that mattered was my effort and volunteering my time to help.
Once the ramp was completed, it had to be tested. Linda's grandson took his tricycle for a spin down the slope and all was well--mission completed. Linda took each of our hands in her own and thanked us. She had tears in her eyes and said a few words summed up in, "Bless you".
Building a ramp seemed such a small thing to do. We couldn't help the family pay their medical bills or give them a better home but we could make at least one thing in their life better. And that one thing, the ramp, made their life that much brighter because it reminded them that they're never alone in their struggles.
We all have a chance to give a small amount of generosity and we all have a chance to be a friend, to be a neighbor, to be an inspiration and to be a volunteer.
What's your story?
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