As the World Volunteers, so go the Nations

Like most people with minds to busy to shut down even for sleep, I take my inspiration where I find it. Today I found it at Adla's place (http://www.vintagedelights.blogspot.com/) and she said this:

"Monica Magness from A girl thread wild initiated a project called ' The Pink Artist' . The pink artist is a community of artist joining together to create one joint art doll to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure.When the doll is completed, it will be mailed into Art Doll Quarterly™, before finally being auctioned off on eBay at a later date.I've pitched in for this cause and joined The Pink Artist to create a few 2 by 2 patches for the dolls skirt. With a few denim cut outs and some beads, I was ready to stitch away. Here's a little preview of my bit for charity :) If you'd like to do your bit for this wonderful cause, you are invited to hop on and create your 2 by 2 patches and mail them out to Monica by the 1st of March 2008. Happy Creating! "

She impresses me. She has such beautifully creative ideas and her own business to run, and yet she volunteers her time for the common good of her world family. Yes, I said world family. I was going to do my post on the importance of Volunteers for our Nation today and luckily remembered that Adla is in Australia. Hmm. Not exactly my nation, yet one I could happily immigrate to were I to suddenly find things were not exactly to my liking here anymore. I used to get crazy when asking people (read women) what they do and I get "oh, I do a little volunteer work". I witnessed volunteer work first hand on Sunday when people came out of their homes and walked through woods and crossed creeks to try to locate the source of a cry for help on the word of one little girl. All plans put aside, Church services forgone, they gave of their time, therefore giving of themselves. I'm sure it was as uplifting to them as Church would have been. But wait now, look at the disasters all over the world, the earthquakes, tornadoes, floods and fires. Most of the people you see doing the rescue work are volunteers. They have no special training, just two hands and feet and a brain. Of course the regular forces are there doing their part, but they couldn't do half as much without the men and women who pour out of their homes to lend a hand. Quite frequently these volunteers travel many miles to get to their destination, all because they can. David McMahon at http://www.david-mcmahon.blogspot.com/ (I highly recommend his site) posed a community question for all this week entitled "do you have enough leisure time?" I thought about it all week, and I have come to this conclusion. No one has enough leisure time. There is always something pressing, something that needs doing, even when you are on vacation. Mama was always glad to get home from vacation so she could rest. I can hear her saying it. "Thank God. That trip about killed me." I sometimes think that volunteers use up their leisure time helping others. In that, we are all the same, worldwide. We all need the same things, food, shelter, clean water, clean clothing and medical assistance on occasion. All of us. Everyone of us. All the same, yet different. Instead of denouncing that difference, we should be celebrating the "sameness". It is after all, the human race. In the words of Rodney King, who was not a great American, just one person caught up in the circumstances of his day, why can't we all just get along? Maybe we need a few more Volunteers and a little less leisure time.