Moments & Purpose
I was so glad to be there. In that moment with my daughter… I was so PRESENT. I was so glad I was there with her. I know she could sense my happiness too. We were volunteering at our church with adorable 3-5-year-olds. Wow! If you need to get back to the original version of yourself and find your PURPOSE, spend time with 3 to 5-year-olds, or any young child for that matter.
Through their eyes you see WONDER, EXCITEMENT, and PURE JOY.
These children say what they feel, help one another, disagree and are just themselves.
They are in the MOMENT.
A couple of Sundays a month we spend time together helping others. Community service and helping others is very important to me. I learned this from my dad. Serving others brings joy and energy to me. It gives me purpose and it makes me live in the moment. The best part of my current volunteering is time with my own child. I get to see her smile. She is full of energy and I even learn more about her. My daughter is already a strong, fearless and confident leader. She is also warm, caring and a very good listener. She loves to help others too.
What happens when we become adults & lose joy in the small moments? WHY does this happen?
Don’t let it slip away. Keep your sense of Wonder. Give volunteering a try, or find ways to serve others and find your purpose.
Beautiful, Jennifer! I have the biggest smile on my face and in my heart, just thinking about you two and the little ones. Thank you for bringing joy to my day!
Jennifer, thank you for sharing your article. On a down blah feeling day, simple joy may escape you. Children are incredible with their infectious enthusiasm for life. School at times can take that innate curiosity they have. As adults, the need to make a living to pay the seemingly endless pile of bills can rob you of the ability to enjoy certain moments. Even more so if you hate your job. Years ago I became like my father (of blessed memory in that I was a consummate volunteer in many organizations. These were not pleasant experiences. I take joy in remembering things I thought I had long since forgotten. “Life is what happens when we are busy making other plans.”-John Lennon
I love this Jennifer. I am retired now and my grandchildren are an absolute inspiration. That you for sharing such joy.
Jennifer – Ah, the joy we experience when we give of our time and talents to help others. Thanks for sharing your heart with us.
Jennifer— What a great message. Channel your 3 year old. I am volunteering for a candidate, and I have to say that it feels good to be giving even in that regard.
Jennifer- it’s also about “get to’s” vs. “have to’s…” the more that things that we can tell ourselves that we “get to do,” instead of “having to do” them is one way to generate that spark that will allow us see with kids’ eyes again. We get older and turn everything into chores, tasks, kpi’s and measurables. Kids learn to do stuff with a sense of joy, before we can show them how to suck the fun out of everything. Great stuff, Jennifer!
A great reminder to live from wonder and awe, Jennifer! So often we might think purpose is intellectual, when it’s something that makes our hearts sing, our bodies dance, our souls take flight…like those 3 to 5 year olds seemingly still had inside their beings. How wonderful that adults had not yet dampened their joyful expressions of being alive and being of service. Thank you for this inspiration!