In 2000, all 50 statesrecognized Martin Luther King day as a national holiday. That same millennial year marked the election of George W. Bush as the 43rd President. Yesterday, as I looked back over the years since the turn of the century, it scared me to realize that I had something in common with former President George W. Bush. I hadn't used these years to better my country, my state, my neighborhoods or the families, co-workers or even the pets within them. Moreover, I never used MLK Day as a national day of community service as it was intended. Instead I coveted it as a personal luxury, a wonderful Monday holiday that afforded me time to escape Manhattan's wintry weather and tireless bustle. This year was different. For the first time, a President of the United States motivated me to turn my precious January "day off" into a "day ON" instead; a day to serve the community around me instead of sleeping late and lounging in front of the TV. With a flight planned for the late afternoon on this year's MLK Day, I knew I didn't have a lot of time to give and I knew I had to seek out something I'd never done before. These 2 parameters limited my choices but they didn't eliminate them. I settled on acts I'd never done before, in a place I had never helped before. I delivered food to two shelters in Bangor Maine. Unfortunately, the bad luck I experienced with my last Never B4 started to rub off on this one. After digging my way out of 18 inches of new snow, I arrived at the Ecumenical Food Cupboard only to discover they were closed for the holiday! Determined to do my part, I headed to Hannaford's Grocery Store to pick up supplies for my next shelter delivery -- big bags of cat food and litter to bring to the Bangor Humane Society. Like many, I have been impressed by the words of our new President: "We are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in America's history." To my surprise, Hannaford's had set up a food collection bin for ALL the local food cupboards in the Bangor area so I was able to make my food drop off after all. Then, I quickly loaded up the back of my car with my kitty supplies and made my delivery to all the purring pets at the animal shelter.
"Given the crisis that we're in and the hardships that so many people are going through, we can't allow any idle hands. Everybody's got to be involved; everybody's going to have to pitch in."
"What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."
Neither of my deliveries can be described as difficult tasks. Yet, they were extremely satisfying, they uplifted my spirits on a cold snowy Monday and they were easy enough to repeat -- which I hope to do throughout the coming year. This has been a Never B4 that I'd definitely like to do again. If you're looking for ideas on how you can get involved in your community, USAService.org will display your options if you simply enter your zip code. Have a comment or a Never B4 suggestion? As as always, I'd love to hear from you so click on the headline above, scroll down and add your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the page.
