Volume XX, Number 29 (Issue 981) July 18, 2022
Making a Difference Award
How often have you seen someone do something nice for someone else with no expectation of recognition, return, or quid pro quo? Rather, they make an extra effort simply because it is within their means, and it is the right thing to do in that moment.
If you pay attention, you will see lots of people doing little things for someone else out of the goodness of their heart. There are people on our block who are prime examples of someone with a servant’s heart. For instance, one of our neighbors takes great care in doing her lawn and attending to her landscaping– always out there mowing, edging, watering, planting, trimming. It just so happens that while she is attending to her yard on Saturday morning, she also tends to the lawn of her next-door neighbor gratis.
Another neighbor of ours, a young couple in fact, live next-door to an elderly widow who has mobility issues. So twice a week they roll her garbage and recycling bins to the curb for pick up. Then, once the city waste management truck comes by, they roll her bins back to the side of her garage until the following week when they repeat the simple courtesy.
I know of another neighbor who has donated over two hundred units of blood to the local blood bank. He is O- and CMV- which makes him a universal donor for newborns in need of a transfusion. So, multiple times a year for thirty years he has taken an hour or more out of his schedule to make a difference in the lives of complete strangers.
Then there is my Sandy, who has an incredible passion for children and their education. Thus, for the past twenty-two years she has served without pay on the board of a large metropolitan school district – attending multiple board meetings each month along with training sessions, numerous performing and visual arts programs, high school sporting events, community events, and awards ceremonies. She does it gladly and for no other reason than she can and wants to help others get the best education possible. Meanwhile, she also serves on the board of an educational foundation, helping that group raise and donate hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in support of classroom enrichment projects. In addition, she served for twelve years at the state level on a board and she readily volunteers for education-related groups at the county level. Before all this she was an active parent at our children’s schools and as a volunteer at our church.
It is worth noting her role on the school board is an elected one which means she has run six political campaigns dating from 2000. Frankly, she is not a fan of politics – especially the money part as she thinks the money and time spent running for office – any office – could be put to better use. Thus, the most she ever spent on one of her campaigns was about $2,500.00 as memory serves.
There are people you know, yourself included I expect, who do wonderful things for others all the time without the expectation of anything other than a “thank you” or in the hope someone will pay it forward when the time comes. Perhaps that good deed you’ve witnessed involves paying for someone’s groceries when they find themselves a bit short at the register. Or the thoughtful, selfless deed may involve someone picking up a meal tab or two in appreciation for a first responder or a member of our military and their family.
Whatever the story, with your permission and assistance, I would like to start sharing and acknowledging more examples of people who are making a difference in the lives of others. Like the heartwarming pieces that sometimes end local and national newscasts, with your help and if all goes well, it will become a monthly staple in this space. After all, everyone could use a bit of inspiration amidst the litany of unwelcome news that constantly comes our way. So, send me those stories.
Soli Deo Gloria
“For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” James 2:26
Keith Hughey
Mobile: (210)260-0955
E-mail: keith@jkeithhughey.com
Transforming Potential into Unmatched Performance
Copyright 2022 by J. Keith Hughey. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for reproduction and redistribution of this essay as provided under the copyright laws of the United States of America. The entire early library of Monday Morning Musings issues may be found at www.jkeithhughey.com. Your comments are welcome and encouraged.