July is my birthday month and it’s become a tradition to volunteer in our community and to invite others to join me. I know, it sounds so altruistic, however, the truth is, I love helping and serving others. And, I’ve found that I can inspire more people to join me for my birthday! 🙂
This month we’ll be volunteering at Kids Against Hunger in Pleasanton, packing food for children & families in need on Saturday, July 20th beginning at 10:30 am. Would it be crazy to think many of you enjoy helping others also, however, life often gets in the way?
Here’s your chance! I’d love to see you PLUS, we have a TON of fun … we have a friendly competition with other groups that are there to see how many bags we can pack … we laugh, we joke, we bond and enjoy each other’s company and afterwards, we share a meal together and we feel great for doing good & helping others in need. What better way to spend a Saturday morning and to help my birthday wish come true! Sign up, put it in your calendar and join in on the fun: Kids Against Hunger_Rica's Birthday
As I reflect on my life’s journey, there is only 1 of 2 directions I could have ended up: either bitter or better. The truth is, early on in life, I felt sorry for myself and, oftentimes, had a victim mentality. I was definitely headed in the trajectory of living a life of bitterness. It was an exhausting, draining, depressing and sad existence. Yet, deep down inside I knew that there had to be more to life than what I perceived as a miserable existence.
Intrinsically I always loved helping people yet, during those early years, I was so consumed with my own self-pity, it was hard for me to lend a helping hand to others. It wasn’t until my late twenties, when I found Jesus, that I realized I had a choice in how I not only perceived life but also how I chose to live it.
I began reading the Bible and discovering the life God promised for all of us. I wanted the life of abundance that I read about in those pages. I found forgiveness, for myself and for those who had hurt me deeply. All I wanted to do from then on was to help others. In the beginning, it was a natural response to outwardly express my gratitude for God’s forgiveness to me. As I lived out a life of helping others, I found that it was something that is innately a part of me - how God knitted and formed me.
I’m not exactly sure the first time I came across this quote, however, it has always stuck with me: “I used to feel sorry for myself because I had no shoes until I met the man who had no feet.” That is when I understood that, no matter how bad off I thought I was, there is always someone in a worse situation than me. I chose to find ways to help others and would often pray about how I could do more.
One of the outcomes of my prayers is that I began donating blood on a regular basis. Did you know that less than 10% of people in the U.S. donate blood to support 100% of patients? I don’t share this for any accolades … I share this simply to share my heart as I do with all of you each and every month.
For me, life is so much better when I serve & help others. My hope is that in some small way, you are inspired to help where you can, too! Here’s to choosing better over bitter!
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Aesop
