Helping Hands

Pearl of Wisdom #2

Some days there just isn’t anything you can do to feel better about your appearance.  We all have bad hair days or days where our clothes just don’t fit right.  Sometimes our skin will break out and concealer won’t cover it.  There’s nothing you can do about those things.  But what you CAN do is heal your inside.  Something I have always felt made me feel better inside or out is committing acts of kindness.

Growing up in the Pirrone household, volunteering was part of the deal.  We walked to cure everything from hunger to Multiple Sclerosis.  We collected food and clothing for the needy.  We donated our time to help out various school, church, or community causes.  Then for two weeks every summer my sister and I shipped out with our church youth group to help those in need outside our comfortable little neighborhoods.

This photo is from a trip I took with my church youth group circa 1994.  I’m not in the picture because I’m the one holding the camera (no selfie sticks back in those days).

The camp we were staying at was a summer camp for underprivileged youth in Connecticut (I didn’t even know Connecticut had poor people).  Those summer months were the only times those kids had to just be kids without worrying about the power getting shut off or whether or not they’d have dinner.  Look how happy they are.  We were there renovating the facility to enable it to accommodate more campers.  We were there to change their lives, but they ended up changing ours.  Yeah, it was hard work, but we had so much fun.  Totally worth it.

The great thing about volunteering is that you don’t have to drive to Connecticut to make a difference in someone’s life.  The next time you’re at a drive through, pay for the guy behind you.  Shovel your neighbor’s walkway after a heavy snow.  Every now and then I brush off my neighbor’s car in the winter to save her time in the morning.  Volunteer at your local soup kitchen or tutor children through an after-school program.  It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you do it with a giving heart.  There’s nothing more beautiful than giving of yourself for the betterment of others.  Give it a try and see for yourself.  I promise it'll change your life.