Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Volunteer Work and Service: How common is it?

Most of our lives are spent taking care of our own needs, but I once read the following quote, often attributed to Winston Churchill:

"You make a living by what you earn;
you make a life by what you give."

What do this mean to you and have you done anything in your life for others that made their lives better? I'm speaking specifically things done for other people outside of your family or immediate relationships (wife, husband, partner, girlfriend, etc.). I remember years ago one of my sons picked apples off his grandfather's apple trees (with his grandfather's permission, of course), sold the apples to neighbors, and then gave all of the money he earned to our church to help the poor in our area. I think he remembers that experience, and it also affected those who perhaps didn't really need all of the apples they bought, but they saw that his efforts might help other people.

So, what things have you personally done or have seen done in your area to help others? Is this type of volunteer work common? Please share your ideas.

Randall

2 comments:

  1. I lead a group for speaking English recently, but my English is so poor that I never could be a good leader in this group. Some friends still convince me of leading this group, because they also want to learn English. And now I'm so happy that everyone enjoys learning English. Also, I fall in love with speaking English. I'm never afraid of speaking English.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Some years ago, when I first landed on America. I tried very hard to search on internet to find some resources to help me to improve my speaking English. I found Randall's Lab. I search around all material on the website. Wow, I exclaimed, how good and helpful it is. But I always believed that there is no free lunch in the world(I'm not a christian at that time). I checked carefully to make sure that I would not fall in any trap... All I could found is a real free lunch put in front of me.
    Due to the inconsistance, I didn't access to the site frequently. Recently, I made my own commitment to work more on improving of English. I go to Randall's web again day by day. In my heart, I thank God(I'm a christian now). I thank Randall. He has not just created and provided the material for who moved here with mother tongue other than English. He also shows us his love. He didn't ask for any reward, but just try very hard to 'give'. Randall, I really think that you are a very good example in your family. You show your children the true meaning of life. You also teach me a valuable lesson. I hope I can be an example for my family too. I always remember the scripture 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'.Thank you, Randall.
    May God bless you and your family.
    Alice Ngan

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for posting a comment. I appreciate your interesting in sharing your ideas.

Best,

Randall

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.