Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Mission, Vision, Goal - the third of four reflections

My life’s mission is to love, encourage and uplift others – to share their joys and their burdens, and to dance with all my heart, soul and mind down the footpath of life.

What does this mean?

In my personal life, it means demonstrating this by generously giving of my time and my resources. I may share an hour of my time to celebrate with others or to cry with others. Or I may share my home with those who need, for a while, a place to grow and to be loved. It certainly means looking, every day and every moment, for the places where a word or a gesture will lift a spirit and give a spark of hope.

It means giving to those charities that touch my heart. I regularly give to my church, which supports local efforts like Habitat for Humanity, Jason Lee Soup Kitchen, Helping Hands (St. Mark Lutheran was one of the founders of this charity) and others. I give to Lutheran World Relief, to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and to the Disabled American Veteran’s association. I believe in putting my money where my mouth is, and my mouth says that I need to be generous, because there are so many who lack.

It also means taking time to nurture myself. I can’t give to others if I let my well run dry. This year, I am taking a Tai Chi class, to nourish both soul and body. I am taking a writing class from a noted local writer, Sara Wiseman, to continue the journey of the written word that began when I was a child. I am traveling in June with my son Gabriel to Scotland and England, to just ‘bum around’ and to spend time at Iona Community – a new adventure for us both!

In my final reflection, I will talk about how my mission drives my business and the decision that I make.

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