To be generous

My friend Maria decided to celebrate her birthday by donating to a charity as well as blogging about being generous. As a chance for her to donate to my 'charity' - the Ronald McDonald House - I have to in turn write a post about what giving means to me.

So what does giving mean to me?

I think for me giving and being generous makes your soul shine. Whether you believe in God or not, you can be generous to those around you, making you a better person. You can be kind to others in need - whether you are in a good mood or grumpy. You can smile at a stranger and listen to someone who needs to vent. You can do a lot by doing little.

I decided to start volunteering for a purely selfish cause. I admit it. I needed something to do to take my mind away from the job I didn't enjoy and the fulfillment I wasn't getting. It was plain and simple. Little did I know that my life would change because of the wonderful people I met, and the smiles and sincere thanks for just being myself. I came to realize that I was getting so much more from volunteering than I ever imagined. I would say the people (managers, guests, other volunteers) at the RMH were generous to me; allowing me to be generous in turn. And teaching me to give a part of myself each week.

So week after week, month after month, and year after year I have become more generous because of the RMH. I have shared this experience with Darin, my family, and even my coworkers. I will always be in awe of this amazing organization and hope to have the RMH be a large part of my future (hopefully we'll move to a big city so I can latch on to another house outside of Orlando). I have learned to put my troubles aside and to try to be happy in my situation.

And that, my friends, was what giving means to me.