Today I had the honor to attend a luncheon honoring myself and five other women who had completed our six years of service with the Alamance County Service League, and welcoming our new provisional class of women who are just starting their six years of fun, sweat, laughter, baking and friendships.
This organization is not for everyone. You have to have the time to commit to volunteer 50 hours a year at League projects. You have to be someone who prioritizes serving others over other responsibilities and activities that fill your life. You have to be someone who either has flexible work hours, be a stay at home mom, or be at a time in your life when you can make time to volunteer after work hours and on weekends.
While that sounds a bit sanctimonious to say this isn't for everyone, I really don't mean to be. Everyone is in a different place in life, and has different priorities. Right now, between grad school and other responsibilities, I would probably not be a good Service League member! There are several wonderful people I know who had to quit the League because it wasn't the right time for them to volunteer in this way. But for the last six years, I had the time to give, and wanted to volunteer, and was lucky enough to be able to.
We always have wonderful speakers at our luncheon, and this year was no different. We had a speaker from a local non-profit organization that runs a family literacy program called It Takes a Village Project, who inspired us all to want to work with them in the future, and two past presidents, Molly and Jen, who spoke about the lessons they learned from Service League. I want to elaborate on their message today, because it touched me.
Be Kind. We, as women, are held up and compared to each other, and judged by society, other women and (sometimes most harshly) ourselves. Are our kids getting straight As? Are they scoring goals on the soccer field or playing the lead in a theater production? Are we getting a promotion at work? Is our house clean and stylish? Do we cook a homemade dinner each night? Do we have the latest car/phone/TV/status symbol? Are we going to the gym several times a week? Are we involved in our children's schools, at our churches, at the local non-profit agency? Are we giving enough money or time?
How do we measure success? Often, it is by outward signs. We have nice clothes, a toned body, children who are successes at school and at extracurricular activities. We have a good job and are married and have a nice house and a car and everything looks peachy keen in our lives.
But were we kind? Did we give of ourselves when no one was watching? Did we smile, even when the person we were trying to help was unappreciative? Did we do something for someone else just because it was the right thing to do and not because we were told to do it? Are we teaching our children to be kind, to treat others with respect and understanding, to volunteer because it brings you joy even as you bring joy and hope to others?
The Service League taught us all the lesson that the giving of yourself to others in service is a privilege we are lucky to have. We are fortunate to be in a position to be the givers. We may not always be in that position. There are times we all need help, support, love, a hug, a hand up, an understanding smile. So always treat others with respect and kindness and love, the way we would want to be treated if we needed help.
We all chose to be "Yes" women. Yes, we will give up our lunch hour to deliver meals or perform a puppet show or do a craft with an older adult. Yes, we will put our kids in the car and bring them with us to deliver those meals or visit with older adults. Yes, we will spend a day (if not two or three days) making baked goods to sell at Holly Days so we can spend more money the next year helping individuals and families in need. Yes, we will chair a project or organize a fundraiser or serve as the Treasurer, Vice President, President, Provisional
Chair/Parliamentarian, Corresponding Secretary or Recording Secretary. Yes, we will pick up extra cleaning supplies and pantry items when we go grocery shopping for our Christmas Cheer families. Yes, we make a meal for the medical professionals who are donating their time at the Open Door Clinic. Yes, we will commit to come to monthly meetings (at least some of the time) and sign up for service projects so we can fulfill the commitments the League made to our community.
We do all of that, and so much more.
I've gotten better at saying "No" recently, mostly because I've had to so grad school can be my priority. There are things that I am truly sorry I can't commit to right now. But there also are things I still am saying "Yes" to because they are dear to my heart.
Going to the luncheon today was a bit like coming home after a long absence. Some of the women I hadn't seen in awhile, and I had missed them. I missed the community of women working together towards the goal of uplifting those in need.
Coming together for a luncheon can seem like a frivolous thing. But that misses the joy of sharing a meal with friends, for laughing about getting lost on Meals on Wheels routes and the horror of glittery ribbons shedding all over your beautiful cake. That misses the support you feel when a friend gives you a hug and says, "I've missed you!" That misses the point of gathering and celebrating those who have finished their six years and those who are just starting out. It misses the joy of putting on a pretty outfit and sipping a drink and feeling special because you are one woman in a group of wonderful women who are making their part of the world a little more brighter with their smiles and their service.
I am so proud to say I am a member of the Alamance County Service League, and that it changed me for the better. I am proud to be a "Yes" woman in a world where it is often every person for him- or herself and success is measured by the things you own or your place on the totem pole.
