"What I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful." -Mother TeresaThe quote above is a reply Mother Teresa sent to a girl who wanted to come to India to serve. All humanitarian service is wonderful. The opportunities are endless. I could work in a leper colony or an orphanage. There are great organizations like Habitat for Humanity and Mothers without Borders. Many of the expeditions do tremendous service in remote places.
But, like Mother Teresa suggests, I should find my our own Calcutta. And, by "calcutta" I think Mother Teresa wasn't just referencing material poverty. There are a myriad of ways that people need each other and sometimes the best charity comes from giving in the small and simple ways. The organized projects are very cool too but sometimes I miss service opportunities right in front of my nose; no expedition required!
Grass roots service is often the best kind! This morning I'm watching Noah and dropping dinner at the Wilsons tonight. It's certainly not Calcutta but sometimes you've got to work within the paradigm you live and operate.
It's funny in a way that Mother Teresa became such an icon because one of the things that endeared me to her was the way she always tried to deflect the fame off herself and onto the need. I purposely didn't use a photo of Mother Teresa for this post. Even though people tried to make it "about her," Mother Teresa lived in such a way that she understood that it wasn't "about her." Nonetheless, what an inspiration she was!
