I think that Lois has figured out what life was all about.
Lois woke up one day and read an article in the local newspaper. The article was about the relationship between a homeless person and the shelter founder at the Homeless Voice. The article was published on December 19, 1999. If you want to read the article, it is here http://tinyurl.com/l2uwfqk
When Lois put down the article, she did not know it yet but her life was about to change.
Many of us want to help others or change something, but few of us actually get off the couch and do something about it. (This is me included.)
Lois drove to the shelter and signed up to volunteer. Later she had told me that she had felt out of place because she had just bought a new car and wasn’t sure what to wear at the shelter. (Most of us just wear what we wore the day before because our work hours can and do last up to 16 hours per day.) She told me that she had felt like putting a dent in the car so that it would have matched the others. I smiled.
After her first visit she must have seen all the work that needed to be done. (Or she had no idea what she was getting herself into.) Within 1 year she was a permanent fixture. Her duties included washing the dishes (because she did not like dishwashers and I still don’t know why), organizing the utility bills, answering phone calls, spending time with clients, and keeping staff in line. (Mainly you know who.)
Lois had other large commitments with her church and her family. I am still not sure how she was able to do all this at the same time.
Lois could have easily stayed at home, spending her retirement money, tending to her garden, or driving in her new car. She made the decision to get out of her comfort zone and do something new.
I believe that constant change within ourselves is always needed for us to grow. I believe that when we are no longer here on earth that love is the only thing that remains. Lois’ one decision affected the next 15 years of her life. This happened because something inside told her to show up to a place that she did not know to help people that she never met. And she did.