Serving others is alive and well

One of the privileges I’ve enjoyed over the years as host of The Geezer Forum is becoming acquainted with a wide variety of people in Bonner County who enjoy serving other people. Each time we gather, we have heard stories and insights from speakers who have put hands, feet, heads and hearts into their sense of compassion. 

They remind us that being disconnected from each other is a sure way to become disconnected to the very essence of life itself. We are created to be with each other, to care for each other, to serve each other!

Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen wrote a powerful essay, Belonging,  in her book “My Grandfather’s Blessing”. She affirms that true service “is a relationship between people who bring the full resources of their combined humanity to the table and share them generously.  Service goes beyond experience.  Service is another way life.”

Rachel also makes a helpful distinction between helping others, fixing others, and serving others. Fixing and helping may be steps to serving others, but their relationship to persons is different than service.

To “help” someone can suggest a kind of unequal relationship while serving someone is a mutual act. Helping brings us a sense of satisfaction while serving can bring a sense of genuine gratitude.

“Fixing” is too often considered what we do to things, not people. People need to be loved, not fixed. We use our expertise to fix something broken. To “fix” a person stops only after we fix the broken part. If we think our job is to fix a person, we’ll likely miss that person’s worth as an actual human being. 

“Service” is in the healing business. Serving seeks to heal that person’s sense of value, of worth, even as we work to “help” or “fix” what the immediate need might be.

Next Tuesday, April 9, the Geezer Forum will be another opportunity to learn about more of the agencies and groups in Bonner County who are in the “business” of serving others in our community. Last November, we hosted other service groups so they might share their stories of service.  On April 9,  2:30-4:00 p.m. in the Umpqua Bank’s Community Room, we will hear from six more groups who try to serve others.

Dawn Mehra, from NAMI Far North (National Alliance on Mental Health), will update us on an exciting new project called Sand Creek Lodge. Pat Stevens and Julie Smith will share why Friends of the Library is so important to the support of our local library. Barbara Buchanan and Dennis Pence will update us on how Food for Our Children is working to give nutrition and hope to school children.

Donna Griffin, from SPOT Bus, will update us on how SPOT is serving a wide variety of people, and how they want to serve even more people. Rebekah Little of Bonner Homeless Transitions will tell us stories of the families they provide homes and life skills to. Daniel Perry, director of the Senior Companion program for Panhandle Health District, will share how senior companions serve older adults in our county even with their simple presence.

We hope you will join us on April 9, 2:30-4 p.m., and learn about these efforts to serve others. Perhaps you might even discover a way you can invest your compassion into a volunteer opportunity to serve others. Who knows what will move you?

Paul Graves, M.Div., is the lead geezer in training for Elder Advocates, a consulting ministry on aging issues. Contact Paul at 208-61-4971 or elderadvocates@nctv.com.