Tara’s Takes
Iwas listening to a sermon Sunday and they talked about a disappointing jelly donut. You know the feeling — you pick out the perfect looking jelly donut and after biting into it, you realize that there is no filling. Or, in my case, I think I’m getting the cream filled donut, which I prefer, but instead it’s filled with jelly.
What comes is disappointment.
Sunday’s sermon was about us being jelly donuts and when God looks inside us, is he disappointed? What he is looking for is caring for others, doing good deeds and spreading the good news.
I think this analogy of a good jelly donut could be applied to all aspects of life. This past weekend, we attended the Tracy Area Chamber Awards Banquet. All of the award winners have filled jelly donuts. These award winners give back to their communities in so many ways.
It’s not just in Tracy. The Balaton Chamber awards banquet will be held in April. Tyler is home to the Tyler Area Community Club. Lake Benton has a Lake Benton Community Foundation. Tracy also is home to the Tracy Area Community Foundation. The communities around us are full of people willing to donate their time to make our communities better.
There is much more than chambers and community foundations.
There are opportunities to give back to your community in church, community service clubs, sports and more.
Everyone has talents that can be used to improve your community. Not everyone has the ability to write large checks. But that’s OK, because volunteers are how small communities survive. It’s how we come together to host amazing events, and bring up our kids with opportunities to explore a wide variety of sports and activities; it’s how we build up our community.
In the past, I’ve spent hours volunteering in many different aspects of my life for things that are near and dear to my heart, for things that benefit my kids and for things that benefit my community.
My volunteer work doesn’t come close to some of the amazing people I’ve had a chance to volunteer with.
Entering a new group of volunteers can be scary at times. But I guarantee you that any group you are willing to donate time to are looking for new and fresh ideas and more volunteers.
So I challenge you to take a look at your donut. Is it full? Are there areas in your community you can help out? Even a few hours a month can make a huge difference.
We are all busy, but we still can all make a difference. Many hands make light work.
