Will you add something to the list?

I am finally sitting down to write a blog after several months.  And I have to say, writing again feels really fantastic. So here it is, back by popular demand!

For the last few days, I have tossed and turned thinking about what I would make my New Year’s Resolution.  Never was a big thing in my house as I feel that most New Year’s Resolutions are often overlooked months down the road, forgotten about among the other minutia that life throws at us. BUT this year I decided I would try to be more introspective. Like the promise of a fresh start that the New Year brings, I thought I might also embark on a clean slate for my remaining time in Honduras.  Instead of just recording the things that I happen to me in my blog, I would rather comment about the significance of the few that shape me.  

In this attempt I have also decided that I will set a goal of trying to read 25 books this year, an attainable goal that can be worked on throughout the year.  I spent a lot of my free time in Honduras watching movies I had seen over and over again. Maybe instead I can use that energy to learn about something with which I don’t know.  Maybe I might even discover a new found interest. 

I have to say that I feel lucky to have run across some pretty interesting and unique individuals over the years.  Some of them only in my life for a couple of days and some for years. I don’t think I could be doing what I am without the amazing people in my life.  It is because of them that I am inspired to do what I do.  Here are just a few of their stories. 

-A friend and her husband who gave up their Thanksgiving to serve food to those who had nowhere to go.

-My grandfather who spends every Saturday building handicap ramps for those whose houses don’t have them. He just raised $95,000 through a radio telethon to build ramps for years to come.

-My mom who is such a good role model to her “little sister”.   

-Another friend who teaches art classes to those in her community who otherwise wouldn’t have access to them. 

-All my BTS friends who work tirelessly to educate Lehigh about sexual violence. 

More often times than not, when I tell people that I have been working in Honduras, they usually make some comment about how they could never do anything like that.  While living in a foreign country for a year may not be for everyone, helping others is.  I think we all have a stake in improving the lives of others, whether that be here in our backyards or far away in a rural village in Honduras. 

We are all part of communities, all connected. There are so many people around us that need our love and support.  We all have things that we excel at and things we struggle with. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all team up and help each other so that we might all get a little better together? 

There are so many people who inspire me and the ones I mentioned above are just a few of the many examples of great people I know and I hope to make the list long enough to wrap around the earth in an embrace. So this New Year’s, will you do something to add to the list?  Can you find something in your life that you love doing and find some way to share that with someone who could really benefit from your expertise? I’m sure of it!

All my love-

Becca