This is the most important thing. I had a project to complete.

Vivian asked me what I was working on. “A funding aid for the library,” I explained. Well, she asked, “I’m on the Labor committee, and we have added some shelves and rearranged some books. And I’m trying to make it easier for people to find their favorite authors, especially low vision patrons.” Vivian said, “I did all that volunteer stuff when my kids were growing up. But now that I live in a retirement community, my town is my own.” “Why don’t you start?” “Because I was raised to do whatever I could to make the world a better place.”

I wish I had known to say to be an upstander and not a bystander. But next time I will say that service is one of the most important of our family values. Service to others is one of the most important of our family values. A value passed down for generations. Before going to sleep at night, my mother asked herself, “What have I done today for my house and yard for my family, for my church, and for my community?” She also counted the things that she was grateful for. What if you woke up tomorrow morning and the only things you had were the ones you had expressed gratitude for?