The Seed of Gratitude

To me, being of service means to give back. Whether it be giving back to the community (community service), donating my time, or lending my time to other people in AA, those are all acts of service. All I know for sure is that when I am helping others, I feel that my life has meaning and purpose. When I was a little girl my mom was a full time student, worked full time, and was a single mom, and still had time to give back. She donated her time to a house that provided help for women who were HIV positive and had developmental disabilities. My mom would explain to me that since our community was helping us get through a tough time, it was our privilege to give back. During that time my mom showed me how good it felt to be of service to others. She planted the seed of gratitude in my heart that would grow for the rest of my life. I learned that you should be kind to everyone you meet because you never know what they might be battling. My mother taught me to take care of my friend when she was sick and how to grieve her loss when she passed away. I will never forget how much I looked up to my mom for showing me that no matter how busy you might be, you always have time to help others. This one lesson has stuck with me my entire life. She taught me that when I’m having a bad day all I need to do is pick up the phone and ask a friend what I can do to help them. That act of service has never proven to be wrong.