Sharing medical supplies to the needy throughout the world

When I returned to my home in Georgia from Florida, I made it a goal to seek out more volunteer opportunities.  I was particularly interested in organizations that were aligned with the new foundation that we have created in honor of my brother, Thom, whose mission it was to reach across boundaries to ensure access to effective medical care for all.  The foundation website is www.thomsegersonfoundation.org; you are welcome to make donations.

A few weeks ago, I happed upon an organization called Medshare and decided to spend a few hours volunteering.  It is a marvelous organization with a mission to serve the world's needy.  Medical supplies that are unused or discarded are shipped to Medshare and volunteers check expiration dates, count, box and ship these supplies to the needy both in the United States as well as to other nations throughout the world.  Medical mission trips are also invited to "purchase" medical supplies at a very nominal fee. I spent most of my time checking expiration dates on very small packages of iodine.

This past Saturday, I ventured off once again to volunteer at Medshare, and found myself sorting through tapes and gauzes with one other volunteer.  A large group of women came into volunteer and I was intrigued by their relationship with each other and decided to ask what the nature of their organization was.  The response brought joy to my heart.  They are a group of four women who call themselves "Divas on Deck".  They have made it their goal for the last few years to go on vacation together.  Most recently, these four woman decided that as much as they enjoy their vacation week together, they need to reach out further.  They are doing this by mentoring to young women.  This brought these dynamic woman accompanied with a half dozen "tweens" to Medshare to volunteer.  This is not an established organization like the Girls Scouts; it is just four women trying to make a difference in the world by mentoring to young teens.

If each and every one of us took the time to reach out like these women have, this world would be a better place.  I admire these women.  They should be lauded for what they are doing.

Serving those most in need

What a joy to have served at Must Ministries today!  I was asked by one of the team members of the local Catholic Church to be part of today's team.  She knows that I like to cook - as opposed to just purchasing items - so my assignment was Italian Pasta Salad.  What is nice, however, is that those who do not want to cook are those who provide the ingredients, so I did not purchase anything. Although I thought that I had followed the recipe to the tee, the other person who provided the same salad, using the exact same recipe, produced a dish that looked far different from mine.  My pasta had disintegrated (it was not the correct pasta, but it was donated, so there is no reason to complain, now is there?) but I added way too much mayonnaise.  Oddly enough, the "diners" loved having a choice between "lots of mayo" or just "a little mayo", and the distribution was nearly evenly split.

Our team's lunch leader had decided on light fare for a warm day.  The choices included tuna/chicken/pimento cheese sandwiches, the pasta salads described here above, lettuce, tomato, chips, pickles, fresh fruit salad and cookies.  There were 80 sandwiches made with only a half of a dozen remaining, and after serving nearly 60 people, the only thing that was left over was a big bag of chips.  Congratulations to our team leader as she hit the count nearly perfectly.  The truth is that very little is discarded by our "diners" since we serve them and if they don't want something in particular, they just let us know as we serve them.

I cannot reiterate enough how grateful our "diners" were with the this lunch meal.  They were kind and gracious and nearly every single one of them thanked us for taking the time out of our day to serve them.  I made every effort to look each and every one of them in the eye when asking whether they wanted "a lot of mayo", or just "a little mayo", because I wanted to communicate to each of them that he/she was worthy of every bit of respect I could relay to them.  I wanted to communicate not only with a spoonful of pasta, but with my heart and my soul.  I wanted to be a gift for them today!

You've definitely got it

We all have days where we need to read this message.  Today I needed this:

Habitat - with the Prospective Homeowner

Today was a special day!

Awaking early, I decided to do my daily yoga.  I decided to do a Power Yoga, electing to chill out in Child's Pose when I could not keep up.  Interestingly, I never resorted to this option as we had moved into Svanasa before I knew it.

I checked into FB and found my brother, Paul, had "Liked" one of my my "Shares", which means that he was awake. Cool.  I called and we had a wonderful long conversation.  Am I gifted with the best siblings ever or what?  There was much discussion about letting go and letting those who can do, do.  These are issues that I need to deal with especially since I am so sensitive.  I am ever so grateful to Paul for "coaching" me through this..

2nd?

There are times in your life when you have a dream, and all that you want at that time is for that dream to come true.  You have had those times, haven't you? It is just about all that you can think about, no matter what time of the day.

How do you feel when that dream - that you consider yours - is taken and orchestrated by someone else?  It sort of hurts, doesn't it?

But then again, what if that fact that you are not the primary orchestrator is best for the dream and its fulfillment?  What if is is for the good of all - including you - that you must be second in command?

That happens to all of us and what we need to learn is that sometimes in life, stepping back and letting others excel where they are the most gifted is just the right thing to do.  It does not mean that you are being "walked over" or patronized; it simply means that you cannot let your ego dictate what is best for all.

A hard lesson to learn, I agree, but one for which you will learn will enhance you and all of the world around you!

Service. Yes!

I woke up this morning with the intention of serving.  It is a beautiful day and I live close enough to the beach that I could have headed east, spread out my towel, set up my beach chair, opened my Kindle and read. What I did do, however, was to search for the address of the location in Jupiter where Habitat for Humanity is building homes.   Dressed in jeans, a comfortable shirt, tennis shoes and a hat, I walked up to a few gentlemen at the site and asked how I might help.

There are many fabulous things about Habitat for Humanity, but one of the best in my opinion is that you can walk right up and help.  There is no vetting - well, you do sign a release form - and in no more than two minutes after arriving, you are working.

In the past I have enjoyed painting rooms and the like, but this morning, they needed weeding.  I don't really enjoy weeding, especially when the temperature is on the rise, but once I buckled down and started, it was really quite rewarding. I particularly enjoyed chatting with the other "weeders" who agreed with me that it is not very amusing to pull weeds, but the end product - seeing the landscape improve little by little - most certainly is.

Patience! One Penny At A Time

I had had such a wonderful day of service (which merits another blog post), and I had promised to drive around the neighborhood to make sure that all was in order. Before doing so, I desperately needed to find a Lady's Room, and decided to make a quick stop in a grocery store.

While there, I remembered that I was out of coffee and, in an effort to escape the $4+ Starbucks run, I grabbed a bag of coffee. Since I only had one item, I looked for the self-checkout line with the fewest heads waiting.

Ah-Hah! There was a line with only one fellow making a purchase. I felt so lucky. He was attired in sweats and had a hat on. Alongside the checkout counter was a insulated store bag from which he took out a 2-liter soda bottle and proceeded to ring it up. I did not see the exact amount as I simply was not watching, but it was somewhere around $1.00. Then I noticed him paying for his purchase, one penny at a time.

Oh no! So much for moving through quickly! I looked at the other checkout aisles wondering if I would check out quicker by moving to one of these. But then I thought to myself, "What do I have awaiting me?" "Nothing!" So I watched as he meticulously put one penny at a time in the slot. It took forever! But it was such a gratifying experience for him! The countdown came to $.35 and he realized that he did not have enough money. I had found a dime on the floor upon entering the store which I proffered to him. He heartily accepted. I didn't want to strip him of his pleasure of putting the pennies in the slot, but he simply had no more, and I was unable to find any more in my purse. I did, however have a quarter which I gave him, but I am not sure that it was as satisfying to him as putting one penny in at a time.

The purchase was complete and the fellow thanked me over and over. He mentioned how he never, ever stole anything. He may have done so as a child, but not now. He could not have been more grateful and he repeatedly wished God's blessings upon me. I returned the wishes, but I am sure that I was far more blessed by this man than anything I could have done for him!