Below is the inspiration Deb Hage shared with us this past Tuesday.  I found it particularly moving because it says so much about the work done by Rotarians in our club and in the many other clubs around the world.  The reality is that the need for service to help those who are less fortunate and not able to correct the problems themselves will always be great.  I think it is fair to say that demand will always exceed supply.  Therefore there will always be problems that remain unresolved and needs that will remain unmet.  That is the reality.

So what does that mean for those who want to help, for those who volunteer to assist others?  It means we must carry on.  The fact that we cannot fix everything does not mean that we do not do all that we can.  As Deb's inspiration says, we must do the work we can and then turn it over to the hands of other volunteers.  It was put another way by Arthur Ashe, who said, "Start where you are.  Use what you have.  Do what you can."  Simple statements.  That is all it takes. 

And the fact that you or your team may not fully resolve the issue you are addressing does not mean your work is unimportant.  In fact, it makes it all the more important, because the problem is significant and will need the work of many hands.  Mother Teresa said, "We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean.  But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."  The point is, it may take the work of many to accomplish a given goal, but the need for many does not diminish the significance of each person's contribution.

So the next time you are working on a project addressing a huge problem, remember that it will be resolved only through the work of many individuals, and your contribution does indeed make a difference.  And in an organization like Rotary we see what the combined work of many can do to help resolve the many issues in the world that need fixing.

As always, I wish you a wonderful weekend and look forward to seeing you next week.  

Keep the faith,

David

PS  As promised at last week's meeting, below is the obituary for Woody and Marcy's son Robert.