Looking for – and finding – bright spots in this upside-down world can be a little difficult right now, but it’s one of the things that has kept me going this last year.
A couple of weeks ago, on a cold and windy April day, I found almost 100 bright spots, and I’m still smiling about all of them.
All the staff at Senior Volunteer Programs say the best part of our work happens when we get to see the volunteers. This usually happens in the form of monthly trainings and annual recognition events.
As you might have guessed, during this crisis, and to our utter disappointment, the in-person trainings haven’t been scheduled. But through good planning and a lot of help, we have held two drive-thru recognitions in the past year. The last one in April brought 86 volunteers out in rare form.
Everyone was smiling and clapping, and many happy tears were shed. Even with masks on, squinting eyes and raised cheekbones showed the joy on faces.
We were able to send them home with some much needed and appreciated gifts, including some heavy items. Thank goodness for the special help we had. Many thanks go to the City of St. Joseph Department of Public Safety, who loaned us firefighters to help with the heavy lifting.
We couldn’t have done it without them. The volunteers loved seeing them, too, as noted by many, many comments: “Wow, this is great,” “I feel so special with your help,” “True servicemen,” “We truly love you” and “This is a great day!”
It was a great day, and a great memory. That evening, after putting my feet up, I realized I was still smiling. Why is it that just seeing or talking to certain people somehow just makes you happier?
One morning recently, I woke up in a grumpy mood. It was cold and dark outside, and that, sadly, suited my mood. Admittedly, I wasn’t thinking about finding bright spots. I was thinking about things that annoyed me.
There were no bright spots to see, given my mindset. I had a meeting coming up and knew I had to shake it off. I reached out to my sister and confessed my attitude. She is always a bright spot for me. Within a couple minutes I was even laughing out loud.
She gave me a gift, and she changed my day. What a great gift to give to someone, to anyone really, even someone you don’t know.
What if you could be the sun in someone else’s life – and make them, at least for a moment, feel some joy and happiness? What if everyone did that? What a great gift to give your community.
So, sometimes we have to seek out bright spots. Other times, we have to be the bright spot for others. The volunteers were definitely my bright spot that cool April morning, and I want to thank each one of them.
So, my challenge to you is to find your “bright spot” and don’t forget to thank them for bringing a measure of joy to your life. And, if you can, be someone else’s “bright spot.” Be it family, friend or stranger, try to make their life a little brighter.
Where are you finding bright spots? My guess is that if you’re not looking for them, you will miss them. Sometimes you even have to create them.