On Friday, March 2nd a small, yet dedicated team of Life Vest Inside volunteers ventured out of the comfort of their world and volunteered their time to paint a few rooms for a non-profit organization with Habitat for Humanity.
We arrived at the location in high spirits ready to get down to business. It was the first time I’ve ever volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and I didn’t know what to expect.
We were greeted in such a friendly manner, got our instructions, and set out to get the rooms painted! Fun is an understatement – painting was a blast! But, for me the thing that stuck out the most was the wonderful people I had the opportunity to meet for the very first time that day. At the site, Life Vest Inside had a team of 8 volunteers but there were other volunteers who had come on their own, to donate their time to Habitat for Humanity.
I LOVE people, that’s no secret. I love meeting new people, learning about who they are and what makes them special. And so I began conversing with the people there, both those who volunteered through Life Vest Inside and those who volunteered on their own. As the day progressed and I got to know them more and more, I was filled with a sense of gratitude for the fact that my path crossed with theirs. I knew that friendships were forming right there and then. And I felt fortunate to be part of something so wonderful.
I can say with great confidence that each person I met taught me something and inspired me in his or her own special way.
As I continued conversing with the people there I was taken aback to hear that almost every person shared one common thread; they were out of a job or in between jobs. I was touched to see, that people, who some would say, were down on their luck and things weren’t going quite as planned managed to find great strength from within and donate their time to such a notable and noteworthy cause in spite of the fact that they were out of a job. Just goes to show that no matter what, we always have something to give. It may not come from our pockets, but it’s coming from somewhere far better – our hearts!
Before I left, I scanned the rooms we painted, took a deep breath and smiled. Through brushes of kindness, life was restored to the once barren colorless walls.
I would like to extend my gratitude to those I met that day for opening up and sharing their story with me. We may have walked into the building as strangers, but we left as great friends! Each person, with their own unique color left imprints on the walls of my heart.