July 31st, 2019
Recently, I found myself questioning my value working at the House. I am a Hospitality Volunteer and felt like, due to some back constraints, I wasn’t contributing as much as I have in the past. I worried I was letting my team down by not being able to clean multiple kitchens, or do multiple vacuuming of rooms, but was only able to do minimal dusting and cleaning tasks.
I prayed about it one day driving home….Asking if I was doing enough. Was I of value?
The next day I had another shift. I questioned myself about even going in; but I did. I did several tasks, not as much as I always had done in the past. My favorite thing to do is to take families to the Magic Room. This day, I went down with a mom and her son. As we were walking back, she started to share her story. I listened and let her know that I understood. At the end, I told her what a pleasure it was for me to meet her. She looked me deep in my eyes and said “I am so very glad you are here.”
I realized then and there that it isn’t what we do or how much we do; it is that we are there for others. The Ronald McDonald House® is a House that is built on love. It truly is a gift to be a volunteer here. What a gift it is for me to be of value to someone and, more importantly, to feel their gift of love back to me.
