A couple of weeks ago I was invited to speak at a women’s Spring Tea event.
All of the women showed up in their spring fashions and in their beautiful Tea Hats.
As I interacted and met these wonderful ladies, it occurred to me that they fell into three groups.
One group were the ladies immersed in the day to day rearing of children.
The second group were the ladies who were finished with that phase of life and looking to the next thing. This of course varied widely.
The third group were women who were facing death of siblings, spouses and friends and had the reality of old age and health issues which occupied most of their days.
As I spoke to this group the reaction to what I was saying was so varied based on what stage of life each of these women were in.
After I spoke the second speaker stepped up to the podium and a group of Girl Scouts who were present to earn a “Service” badge began to place small Japanese Origami Cranes on each of the table.
The woman who spoke donated her spare time to working in a “Wellness Community” for cancer patients and survivors. She relayed a story about a doctor who at the beginning of his day came into his office with his schedule of patients in front of him and a stack of Origami paper and he folded a crane for each of those patients he would see that day and while he folded the paper crane he prayed for each of those patients.
As she talked about her volunteer work, tears welled up in her eyes and she recounted her interaction with patients and the cranes that she makes everyday that she goes to the wellness community to volunteer. As she talked she folded a paper crane and each and every fold had a specific meaning.
She was very passionate about what she did with her free time. She was also a “survivor”.
What are you doing with your spare time?
Who are you uplifting?
When we are involved in trivial meaningless activities which do not lift up, support or help others, I truly believe that we will be held accountable for not helping others in the ways that we can help.
Lest you say give an excuse let me go on to say that she gave example after example of how women just like yourself give of what time they do have available. For example: there is a woman who bakes fresh muffins only on Wednesdays and drops them off as she takes her kids to school. Another couple comes in and donates flats of flowers to be planted in the gardens. And still another woman donates from noon to 2:30 pm once a week to maintaining the garden, by pulling weeds, or planting any recent donations. There is a Boy Scout troop who mows the grass and does other small lawn and garden chores as they are needed.
Yes, you do have time and there are outlets like this one all over the area where you live.
I challenge you to use your free time wisely and what you will find out is that your soul will feel full for helping others.
