I am only one...

Helen Keller said “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”

I found myself writing a letter this morning to an awards board about some people that really touched my life while I was in Pensacola. I never thought that I would ever meet people that were not tied to the military the way that I am, but that would still want to help the military as much as they did. These people taught me about the true spirit of people, that there is good in everybody, sometimes you just have to look a little harder or you have to find a way to reach them, to motivate them, to guide them.

Now I find myself trying to come up with more ways to make a difference. I guess all of this free time is finally getting the better of me. It used to be that every day I got up in the morning and went to work, went about my business, then came home. Now I am not working really, other than some contracted work from home stuff. So, I have some free time, as one could imagine.

I think back to the day that Hunter told me he wanted to donate his piggy bank...what a caring child I have. He makes me want to be a better person, he makes me want to give more. But, with only one income right now and bills to pay, how can I give more? I know I can volunteer my time, but that is limited because Hunter is only at school right now from 8:30-11:30. So, what do I do then?

It was as I thought about all of this and about how we can all make a difference that I figured it out. If I can't give my time at volunteering, why not work to try to educate others on how they can help? Why not make it my goal to get people involved all over the US?

So, it is now my mission, my goal, to get everybody to give an hour of their life to help somebody else. I don't know yet how I will get this done, but I'm going to start right here.

I am going to appeal to all of you that read this, that enjoy reading about my times, my stories, my hurt and my smiles. I can point you in some sort of direction, but please give just an hour of your life. I'm telling you, it will be come addictive.

As Helen Keller said, "I am only one, but still I am one...". If enough of us give just an hour of our lives to help somebody else, the world would be a better place.

And so, in this part of my blogging, I am not going to write about a feeling or an experience that changed me. I want you to write about a feeling or an experience that changed you...tell me about the day you did something for somebody and how it made you feel, or how it changed you. I think that all of our stories together can help to inspire others of our friends.

And so, as you stop to think about what it is that you want to say for others to read and to grow inspiration from, I leave you with these lines from Nickelback's song "If Everyone Cared"...

If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we’d see the day when nobody died

And I’m singing
Amen I, Amen I, I’m alive
Amen I, Amen I, Amen I
(I’m Alive)

And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We’ll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along