Tuesday, July 13, 2004

All Volunteers

I come from a family of volunteers.
I remember volunteering to help neighbors, to baby sit, to help my Mom with cooking, ironing and cleaning.
I have always known helping others to be a joyful way to share my time and energy.
I look for ways to be helpful.
I always feel satisfaction in helping others and I always learn.
I still give the vast majority of my time to serving others and the Greater Good.
This is my function and my life.

Since I am the sole provider for our family, I do “need” to receive money to pay our bills. And I trust the money we need will be given as we have need. So I continue to counsel, coach, teach and facilitate on a contribution, honorarium or volunteer basis. I turn no one away who has not the financial resources to pay. Everyone is encouraged to contribute, because giving is a blessing to both giver and receiver.

Volunteers are those who give willingly of their time, energy and money.
When we give unwillingly we feel victimized, obligated, and demanded of.
A simple change of mind will change one’s experience.

I believe we are all volunteers here.
We volunteer for the parts we play in our family.
We volunteer to do well in school or to distract or to fail.
We volunteer to give with excellence or with carelessness.
We volunteer to work and play with enthusiasm or with unhappiness.
We volunteer to enjoy our life or to hate it and wish it would end.
We volunteer to contribute to others or to take as much as we can.
We volunteer to make ourselves a beautiful home or to live in a mess.
We volunteer to share what we have with others or to withhold and keep for ourselves.
We volunteer to tell the truth or to deceive.
We volunteer to share good news or to complain and whine.
We volunteer to be truly helpful or to interfere and sabotage.
We volunteer to appreciate others or to gossip and criticize.

What do you volunteer to do?
What do you willingly and knowingly use your time for everyday?
TV, gossip, complaining, useless arguments?
Or do you use your time to learn, to encourage, to create positive solutions.?
Do you volunteer with those you know and love....family and friends?
Or do you volunteer with others like the grocery clerk or in a nearby nursing home?
There is much to be learned from volunteering consciously. Everyone is our teacher.
Every bit of love and joy and wisdom you give is your to be given again and again.

If you are waiting to receive, it is likely you will become tired and drained.
If you receive the highest and best you give as it is given you will always be fulfilled and refilled.

PS
Volunteer to love everyone who comes into your life, including your parents and you will feel great freedom and joy.
It is our withholds that keep us stuck and attached to what we are wanting to avoid or change.
In Loving we set ourselves free.
No more conditions, no more limits on our lives.

Volunteer to Love… Free yourself by Loving…
Betty Lue