Women Build

Last night I had an amazing experience - I went to a Habitat for Humanity Women Build 2006 Rally. I had no idea what to expect, maybe a couple of Sarasota women showing up for some snacks or something. I sure was wrong.

When my friend Joan and I pulled up to the parking area at Girls Inc where the meeting was, the only place left to park was in a field. When we got to the auditorium it was packed! There were a 150 energetic and excited women ready to pick up a hammer to make a house for a woman named Vicki and her two sons, both of whom are disabled. The spirit was so strong and the enthusiasm so great, both Joan and I and I'm sure others had moist eyes.

What a wonderful feeling to be able to participate in the transformation of someones life - someone I will get to know and care for. I contribute to other charities by sending out a check and feeling as if it's more my duty than anything else. But if this building contribution makes me feel good, like a pebble tossed into a pond, those ripples of goodness will spread and touch others and make them feel good and so on.

Raised with a healthy dose of the Puritan work ethic, doing something so I would feel good and as a by product of that someone else would also, was a no no. Think of 'them' first and me second. How typical is that? Well, I'm not going to do that any more because I now know that if I'm not doing something I feel good about it's not going to translate into good. On the surface it might look good, but it's not going to feel good to me or the person I'm helping.

This rally was a feel good thing for us all, and it spread great waves of fellowship and care among us. What is wrong with that? Nothing I tell you, nothing at all!