Martin Luther King Said it best...

Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.

Lately I've been reflecting on my life, and I've been trying to determine what positive changes I can make in my life to make it better. Don't get me wrong -- I have a great life. Sure, I have some medical issues and a husband living in a different state, but all in all, my life is good. I have clothes, food, shelter and above all, healthy and happy children. I try to keep my problems in perspective, though it's sometimes hard to do. I am very blessed and I thank God for all that I have.

Despite "having it all" I have just felt that something is missing, and I've been soul searching to see what it is. I think it all started when I wasn't able to adopt a family for Christmas this past year. It broke my heart, and I missed that giving opportunity. But I didn't realize how much it affected me until last night. When I got home from work, I could smell natural gas -- and it was strong. I had Ron call the gas company, and they were there in less than fifteen minutes. DTE used their machines and determined that the smell was coming from our neighbors' house. Apparently, their furnace broke over the weekend, and they were using their stove to heat their home. The gas smell was unbelievable outside -- I can't imagine how horrible it was in that house!!!

I called the company I use for furnace repairs, and they sent someone out to check the furnace. The people that live there told him they can't afford the service fee, much less to fix the furnace, so they were going to send him away. He told them that he was instructed to check out the furnace and that the fee was taken care of. My neighbors assumed it was because of DTE, so they let him in. Truth is, I had told them when I called that I would pay for them to come out and take a look. Unfortunately, the furnace is shot. It's 26 years old and needs replaced. That I can't help them with. Despite getting bad news, it felt great to help them out. I sincerely wish it would've had a different outcome, but I did the best I could. And the important thing is now they know not to try to run the furnace at all (which is what they were doing while having the stove on.) The furnace repairman detected a lot of carbon monoxide in the house, and they don't have a detector.

It felt great to be able to help my neighbors out, though I don't have the funds to service this way continually. I need to find ways to serve others that can use my time or talents. That is my personal challenge -- to find more opportunities to serve others. I want to show my gratitude to the Lord for all the wonderful things he's given me. And since money is tight, I need to be creative and find other ways to help people. I've helped at soup kitchens and that in the past, but I need to do more. I WANT to do more.

Down in their hearts, wise men know this truth: the only way to help yourself is to help others. -- Elbert Hubbard

You have not lived a perfect day, unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you. -- Ruth Smeltzer