I am not a hero, nor am I doing anything spectacular. I have found a way to serve that will improve the life of someone who needs help. I am a student taking the summer off, so work scheduling is not a concern for me right now. My kids are older and can physically take care of themselves. I can worry while I lay around recovering just as easily as I can worry while I sweep the floor. I am healthy and young, so recovery should be relatively easy. I want to make a difference for someone.
But organ donation is certainly not the only way to serve. Anyone can find something helpful to do. You can donate plasma or whole blood. You can donate time or money to your favorite cause. You can pray for advance in medical science. You can: take care of your children; call your mother; visit a friend; smile at a stranger; hold a door; be a foster parent; volunteer at your local school; recycle or reuse to reduce your carbon footprint; come over and scrub my kitchen floor; tie a shoe for a little kid or a pregnant woman; teach a class in your church; grow a vegetable garden and share your harvest with a neighbor; read to a child; help an elderly friend in the yard; kiss your spouse like you mean it; reach out to an acquaintance; keep your office neat for the cleaning staff; toss your trash in a trash can; mow the lawn next door when you mow your own; change a tire for someone you don’t know; attend a benefit concert; help a boy with his Eagle Scout project; join the Peace Corps; thank a soldier; be a soldier; donate a hospital wing or university building; take dinner when you go to visit a new baby; speak kindly to the cashier at the store; donate to the DI or Salvation Army; be a secret Santa; or any number of other ways.
We sometimes forget that service to immediate family is just as important as service to people we don’t live with. Right now, step away from your computer and go say something nice to someone you’re related to. There, you’ve started serving already.
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