A Gift of Time … How It Started

Who would have thought that an annual visit to the eye doctor would jumpstart a long-standing desire of two sisters to help others in their lives and make a difference?

It started with the usual waiting that one does when you go to a doctor of any kind. Arrive to your appointment early, hope to get in earlier than your scheduled time, but usually end up waiting. This visit was no different. My wait consisted of a small waiting area with a few choice magazines to read. Nothing really appealed to me so I decided to pick up the Reader's Digest - Large Print Version (which makes sense because I was afterall in an eye doctor's office). I skimmed over most of the articles but there was one that caught my eye in particular. The article, Make It Matter: Blogging for a Better World, was about a woman, Raegan Payne, who turned one volunteer activity into 50 different volunteer projects over the course of a year and blogged about them in her blog thegoodmuse.com. Her goal was to show people different ways to get involved. After reading this article, I was inspired and the wheels started to turn.

It didn't take much to recruit Therese to join my cause because we have had discussions in the past about how we wanted to do something so much more than what we do on a day-to-day basis. Something with a purpose … something unselfish … something good. A "Pay It Forward" so to speak. Thus, with thought and desire, we have decided to start this journey of giving our Gift of Time to those who need it. A journey which we hope will provide happiness and hope to others who are less fortunate and in need and to reflect the presence of God in our lives. And, hopefully, as we share with others our experiences through our blog it too will inspire at least one other person to make a difference in someone else's life.

We welcome any thoughts or suggestions for volunteer opportunities. No matter how big or small the endeavor may be, we hope that our "light" will shine and will make a difference somehow.

Who would have thought that a trip to the eye doctor would open my eyes and see life so clearly and so differently?

What are you going to do this week to make a difference?