Trashy

It’s Friday – a great day for service.

Have you noticed how much trash there is around you? As you drive, walk or take the train or bus, do you notice the stuff people leave behind?

Once, while waiting for a bus, I happened to look through the fence into the cemetery that was behind me. Among the beautifully decorated graves and strewn about on the nicely clipped grass, I saw a lot of things that clearly didn’t belong.

Aluminum cans.

Newspapers blowing in the wind.

There was even a long, broken piece of lumber.

The strange thing is that, despite the smallness of the graveyard, there were plenty of half-empty trash barrels around.

Knowing that I had only fifteen minutes before my bus came, I decided to do something. I cleaned the place up.

As I was picking up the trash, I noticed passers-by were giving me strange looks. Funny how something like that can really make me more determined to keep going.

I’m not telling you this to get any kind of accolades. The reward, for me, was in doing the deed. I’m telling you this in preparation for today’s Service Challenge:

This weekend, how about taking a trashbag along with you. You can even stuff a grocery bag or three in your purse, pocket, briefcase or backpack. Then, as you go about your day, if you see some trash, pick it up, put it in your bag, and dispose of it.

Simple, yes?

Do you remember my post “Family Service Challenge”? Here’s a short quote from that post:

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When the family was cleaning up garbage at a beach in Eureka, California, the locals were rather surprised.A short quote from the book:“Hi… What are you guys doing?”“Oh, we’re picking up garbage here on the beach.”“Oh.” They would pause a second and then say, “How come?”“We just thought it would be nice to do, and it looked like it needed it.”“Uh huh. Where are you from?”“We’re from Idaho.”“Idaho?!” they would respond with a startled tone. “You’re from Idaho and you’re here cleaning up our beach? Why?”“We just wanted to help out.” (From “The Message – © 2001 American Family Institute)

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To read the entire post, click here: http://serviceafol.blogspot.com/2008/09/family-service-challenge.html

So, what do you say? How about cleaning up just a little bit near where you live, work or play?

Can you imagine if each person just picked up one small bagful of trash, what a more beautiful world we’d be able to enjoy?

Remember, service does not have to be such a big challenge that none of us want to do it. It can be small and simple and easily accomplished.

Ask a friend or family member to help you. Share the workload. Have fun with it. You may get strange looks from others, but you also may be surprised at their willing to do the same thing because of your example.

Set the example.

As always, thank you so much for reading and accepting today’s challenge. I appreciate your willingness to do something nice and worthwhile. You may be the only one who knows of your efforts to clean up. That’s okay, too. You’re not serving for the accolades of others.

You’re doing it because you want to bring a little bit of Heaven to your world.

And I appreciate that about you.

Remember, Service is the Action Form of Love.

James