Volunteers are important!
So many groups are made up entirely of volunteers. We have groups at our
school like the Booster Club for sports and the Elementary PTO and Middle/High
School PTA. In the community, we have American Spouses' Club and the
International Spouses' Club. There are also Lodges, church groups and Boy and
Girl Scouts. All of these groups are run by volunteers.
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Why am I talking about this you might ask? Well, back in
2004, I started volunteering with PTA at our school in the South of France.
That was the start of something big. It was bigger than me and it lit a fire
that started as a glimmer and eventually was a roaring bonfire. Before this
time, I worked full-time as a legal secretary and didn't have much free time on
my hands.
I never knew what hit me! I enjoyed being involved and
making a difference and helping make things happen at the school. Little did I
know where it would all lead. I made friends, really great people who came from
so many different places -- far from my hometown. I played flute with my friend,
Nicole, on accordion at our Spring Fair - it was so much fun and I can see her
smile and hear her telling me how I "played well from the paper" (she
is German and meant sightreading). This was just the start.
We moved back North to the Netherlands and darned if they
didn't need help with the Elementary PTA. I started out as Secretary and almost
immediately slid into the President's chair due to a glitch (thanks Carmen!).
Three years later and I finally took off that hat. Meanwhile, I was on the
board of PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) which is a fantastic women's
ministry which I talked about before. I made so many good friends there and
across Europe just by volunteering a bit of my time. Actually, it was a lot of
time but it was a labor of love so it didn't seem like so much. Our son was in
Cub Scouts and they needed a little help so I did what I could from time to
time including being secretary on our council. Taking minutes isn't a job,
right? The end result of this period of
time was getting a plaque for being Family Member of the Year which really
meant I put in a lot of hours for our community, for our kids, for our ladies
and for myself. It was a good investment. All of these things were important
and had a lot of value. Our volunteer hours have value. They are priceless!
The programs that are run by volunteers are really important! They fill in the holes that are left from cuts in our military programs overseas. They also provide rich opportunities for our children and family members to have while living far from home. Some programs also have charitable missions which give those who participate a chance to help others. These opportunities are limited when we live in a small military community in a foreign country. Often it is hard to find people to volunteer because so many times people volunteer in more than one group. This is common in a small community and contributes to the problem of feeling burnt out from the work. It happens...
But why am I talking about volunteering?
Well, the reason I'm able to blog these 31
days is because I am now free of all of those volunteer jobs. I am finally not
on any boards, not teaching Sunday School or leading any evening programs. I'm
just being a wife and mom, driving 500 miles a week to school/work and trying
to find my way in the world of blogging. It's a season of rest from outside
involvement. I have a feeling I'm not done volunteering, yet. But for now, I'm
taking a break and taking time to smell the roses and appreciate some time to ponder
the good things in life!
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