Unemployed Contractor Shows True Meaning of Service

I saw this on the KSAX TV website. An

unemployed contractor donated a custom trailer he owned to a nonprofit

agency that provides service dogs for people who are deaf or disabled.

Not long ago (on Thanksgiving) someone had stolen the trailer owned by the nonprofit. Without it they could not deliver the supplies to their clients.

The contractor, Paul Tate, was moved by this story and gave them a

custom-built trailer he owned, so they could continue their work.

Read the whole story here.

Beside being proud of this guy (especially since he’s from

Burnsville, my hometown) I love this example of people serving others.

Here is a guy who could be hunkering down hoarding everything he has

because he’s out of work. Instead he gives away something very valuable

to an agency he had no connection with. And he did it with no

expectation of any type of return.

I call that service. It’s putting others first. It’s focusing on helping others meet their needs and goals.

In my conversations with people this fall, I’ve heard a surprising

number of stories like this. People who have their own struggles and

challenges (like unemployment) yet who are doing more for others than

ever before. Volunteering, making donations, helping out a neighbor.

What’s going on here?

Am I seeing signs of a silver lining in this dark cloud of economic

change we’re experiencing? As we face hardship and uncertainty are we

more willing to change our priorities? Could it be that "dying with the

most toys" or having the highest "cylinder count" isn’t so important

anymore?

As our economy and world change, perhaps we are allowing ourselves

to look beyond our own needs and pay attention to others a little more.

Maybe an outcome of this turbulent and transformational time is that we

will focus more on how to serve each other because we know it’s the

right thing to do and, even better, it feels good.