LAST week we celebrated Volunteers’ Week and took the opportunity to recognise the valuable contribution these people make to the fabric of our lives and living.
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It looks like a prime opportunity to look at this aspect of our lives and explore it a little under the surface.
Without our volunteers so many services would simply not exist.
With so many avenues available in which to offer services, there is room for all sorts of gifts and talents to be utilised.
A volunteer is someone who gives a service without any remuneration or payment, to assist another person or cause they deem worthy of their assistance.
During the week we heard lots of heart-warming stories of these acts of human kindness - from that regular phone call, to Meals on Wheels, to Vinnies and Salvation Army, to the hospital Wayfinders, to friendly visitors, to the Blue Ladies and Men, to the hospital auxiliaries, right up to the volunteer fire and rescue services and so many more.
The one thing all these volunteers have in common is their generosity in offering their services as and when they are most applicable and, sadly, an increasing shortage of personnel.
Many volunteers are not so young any more, and grandparents are often needed to care for children while the next generation is working for their living.
This makes for a smaller population on which to call for new members.
Nevertheless, I firmly believe that if every one of us were to take the time to be still and look into the depths of our hearts and find what lies hidden there - like love and compassion, goodness and kindness, generosity and humanity - we could even be surprised, and feel urged to find a way of sharing these gifts beyond the family circle and friends.
Come on, let’s swell the ranks of the volunteers and join up the one where we feel most called to participate.