Page 81 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2017- Online Magazine

HONORING SENIORS

TOO “___________”

TO BE EFFECTIVE?

By Jess Peterson

he following is a quote from The Prayer of Jabez: help raise our grandchildren, instilling within them
“If you think you are too small to be effective, the values we think important. There are also so many Inspiration
Tyou have never been in bed with a mosquito” places outside of the family. Take a pencil and paper
(Betty Reese). I not only got a good chuckle out of that and start listing the ones you can think of. There
quote, but I also started wondering what would happen are churches with their many programs for good;
if we replaced the word “small” with something there are public and private schools; there are social
else. While some may think they are too “small” to needs agencies like the Food Bank, hospitals, Meals-
be effective, others may think that they are too “big”, on-Wheels, and child and adult protective service
or too “dumb”, or too “young”, or too “quiet”, or too agencies; there
“outspoken”, or too “silly”, or too whatever. What are organizations “You have the answers
word would you use? that support to the questions that
the arts. The list others do not even
I hope you did not choose the word “old”. Where some is unending, know they will ask.”
of these other words might truly fit, the word “old” and thankfully
does not. For, to be truly effective, one must experience Lubbock is a city
the process that comes from aging. Only those with with a giving heart and lots of opportunity to serve.
experience can guide those without it. And whether This issue of Senior Link can be a great tool to help you
your experiences have been good or bad, the lessons discover what you are looking for as a volunteer.
that you have learned from them could help someone
else. If you were driving down a highway and came to So never get the idea that you are too “old” to
“Seniors are in the a fork in the road, be effective. Now, you may be too stubborn or
you would have
scatterbrained or outspoken (just kidding), but you
prime time of life for to decide which are certainly not too old. You have the answers to the
greatest effectiveness.” way to turn (at questions that others do not even know they will ask.
least before we Your knowledge is precious, but to be truly effective,
had GPS to tell us). If you turned left and it led you that knowledge must be shared. I hope you take
straight to where you wanted to go, you could share advantage of volunteering and giving of yourself
that with someone else who wants to get there. If you during this prime time in life.
turned right and it led you through winding dirt roads
and ended up at the trash dump, you could tell others www.amazingstoriesbyjess.com
to avoid that right turn.

Instead of being too “old” to be effective, we seniors
are in the prime time of life for greatest effectiveness.
That is why it is so important for us to be involved
in volunteer efforts. We, as seniors, especially those
of us who are retired, have the time, the means,
and the experience to make a difference in so many
organizations.

And there are so many places to get involved. You may
be a “family” volunteer. That’s where my wife and I
often find ourselves—looking after the grandchildren.
And it is a marvelous way to make a difference as we

Lubbock Senior Link 81