Time to Cry Tuesday – Community

Hi, my name is Amy and I am a recovering volunteer.

Ok, so maybe I have fallen off the wagon of late, but in a good way. For the past year or so I have taken a back seat on the volunteer front. Partially for work and family reasons and probably because I needed a break.

But over the past few weeks I have stepped back into a couple of my favorite volunteer  jobs. And I have to say I am truly happy to be involved again. Not so much for the work I do, but more for the people I do it with.

There is something about being part of a community that is like nothing else. To share a common goal with a group of people that you would not normally meet in your regular day is so unique. Committees and boards are made up of a mixed demographic that broaden the way I think and the the way in which I look at the place I call home.

Tonight I was at a meeting where people were asked to define what made this place so special. I was brought to tears with each response. Some answers touched me personally while others helped me get to know the person that shared them one step further. It was quite remarkable. There was something about the way that each person defined community that made me realize just how rare this place is.

I am a big shot. I have always said when my kids were grown I would be out of here in a flash. But when I think of all that I would leave behind I am not so sure. The people who hold me up when I am falling and make me laugh till I could cry (when I have the time and of course on Tuesdays) are not so easily replaced.

Community is what you are fortunate enough to have when you invest in the place you live. The people become part of your life and you become part of theirs. When you are truly a member of a remarkable community like mine, help is there before you even think to ask for it. The rewards outweigh the work you put in and the relationships you form last a lifetime.

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.