OK, so what do I know about volunteering? Well, I do know that volunteering is not a mandatory thing, it is a giving of one self in service to a cause greater than oneself.
We all volunteer in one way or another.
Well, I got the opportunity to volunteer on a project to build a home for a family that was up against it recently. I didn't work on building the house, I helped the actual builder in his office so his staff would be free to do what they do best. Extreme Makeover, Home Edition, came to New Hampshire and a lot of people got to help one family rebuild their home.
I am told there was a record turnout for this project. Volunteers from all over New England came to help this family. At first I thought it was because of the TV show but soon found out otherwise. Once you get elbow to elbow with a group of people with one purpose the show becomes secondary.
There was a camaraderie and sense of purpose among the volunteers on-site and off. Volunteering is a way to connect with people you may never have the opportunity to meet otherwise.
Helping someone else has rewards difficult to measure. There is the immediate gratification one feels when actually giving their time then there is the sense of accomplishment upon completion. But the effects don't end there.
Suddenly, in a slow market, this week we have more appointments than we've had in months. So much so that business threatens to invade time we have set aside to volunteer. I believe this is the direct result of giving and receiving, sowing and reaping, karma or whatever you choose to call it.
My better half and I are members of a vocal ensemble "Vox Jubilante" and we have been asked to sing Saturday at a celebration to welcome home soldiers from Iraq. We feel so honored to go to this celebration much less entertain men and women who volunteered to put their lives on the line for our precious freedoms and for a people they didn't even know.
You see how it works.....we volunteer to help others who volunteered and so on.
A special Thank You to Anna Mantica for providing these images of the project.
Judy T
Judy Tuscano, REALTOR, ABR
Team Tuscano
Prudential Verani Realty
603-498-2263 cell phone
603-693-0919 office
978-565-1207 fax
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