Finding Joy in Serving Others

This morning I read a post by one of my favorite bloggers, Kristen Welch.  Her writing speaks so clearly to me and I look forward to each new post she puts out.  She is truly an inspiration and I love how her trip to Africa changed her.  She came home wrecked, but instead of burying the heartache and ignoring the pull inside of her to do something she chose to act.  I can relate to her, because I, too, have felt this pull.

I have this soft spot in my heart for children, especially those coming from low-income homes. When I taught, I had the privilege of teaching students on both ends of the spectrum.  While I cared deeply for all of my students, the years I taught in low-income schools had the most impact on my life.  I felt extremely connected to these children and knew the effort I put into teaching and nurturing them made a difference.

My experiences in the classroom have certainly played a significant role in the creation of the programs we provide through From Cover to Cover.  My heart is full when I meet these children and share the gift of reading with them.  I believe, for now, this is my calling.  While it brings much joy to my life, it is not always sunshine and roses.

There are times when it becomes overwhelming.  We have been blessed with many supporters and financial gifts, but if we want to achieve our goals and reach even more children in our community we have a lot of work to be done.  A huge chunk of this work is finding more supporters and naturally, more money.

There are days when I feel defeated and discouraged, but then I read something inspirational and feel invigorated again.  Determination and perseverance eventually prevail, but some days it is just.so.hard.  It is so hard to be patient when I want everything to fall into place now!

One of the biggest goals I have for 2015 pertains to From Cover to Cover.  We are exploring becoming our own 501(c)3 in order to be eligible for many more funding opportunities, especially at the local level.  This is new terrain for us both and will be a road filled with bumps along the way I'm sure, but it is our hope to have this finalized by the beginning of the next school year.  Once it is done, we will be expanding the geographic area we serve.

This goal is lofty and has the ability to have a tremendous impact in my community.  I pray it all works out and I, along with my friend and co-founder, have the courage, patience, and knowledge to see it through.  This is an exciting, yet frightening, time and I hope by the time The Year to Get Sh*t Done is complete, I can check this goal off as completed.

Until then, I will continue to serve these awesome kids and teach my own children about the gift of helping others.  No matter the outcome, this has been an amazing journey and I know it will continue to bring joy and purpose to my life.