Quote Originally Posted by gadjo_dilo View Post
I think that's great. Esp. cos it's on Christmas week.
Airshifter, you really have a big heart.....I'm happy you're my friend.
I regret not understanding earlier in my life how much I enjoy helping people when I can. Though I always somewhat enjoyed charity work and such things, I never got as personally involved until later in my life.

And I was fortunate enough to go through some personal struggles that gave me some first hand insight to things I didn't and still don't quite fully understand. But that exposure, along with meeting people that have themselves struggled though much tougher things, some of them horrific events for any human to endure, have made me understand we all have something to give back.

Some of these people I have met are now employed in a health care system that is attempting new ways to reach out to those in need, and these men and women are very inspiring. Many of the veterans also come back to help and volunteer as they learn to cope, and the stories of some of those people brings me to tears.... literally. It is a group of people I have enormous respect for.

So please don't think that I have spent my life as some selfless person who woke up every day wanting to help others, as that is not the case. I've simply been exposed to people that at some point did become such people, and they have inspired me to make changes to what priorities I have in life. And I let them know in no uncertain terms that if I someday become the person they already are, I will consider that quite an accomplishment.

But I'm glad you're my friend too. And I know that you have a lot on your plate at the moment. But just remember you can still give another person hope that one day they will have a plate to pile problems on. Some of them have lost hope that it will ever happen, and something that simple can be very rewarding.