The Currency Of Gratitude

This week is National Volunteer Appreciation Week, and across the nation proclamations have been issued, certificates and tokens have been distributed, and many words have been spoken in an attempt to make a meaningful payment on the debt of gratitude our society owes to those who do something of value for nothing.

Here in Newtown, that debt is large, and we know there is no paying it off with words and tokens. From the EMTs and fire rescue crews who attend to people in terrible straits who are hurt, or trapped, or rendered helpless by tragic circumstance, to the Meals on Wheels drivers who bring hot meals to the homes of people with limited mobility — from the heroic to the routine — our local volunteers change lives for the better, day by day. In a culture accustomed to measuring accomplishment on the scales of profit and loss, we sometimes fumble with the currency of gratitude when we are on the receiving end of volunteer action. Our thanks seem like shortchange in an otherwise honorable transaction.

What most volunteers understand, however, is that the greatest dividends of gratitude are always paid in kind. If you are grateful to someone who has freely given to you, consider giving freely to another who is in even greater need. In that act of giving you will come to know how volunteers are really paid.

There are innumerable opportunities to volunteer in Newtown, even for those with only an hour or two a month to spare. This week, as part of our report on local voluntarism, we are including a short list of volunteer opportunities in Newtown. We hope to lengthen that list and present it regularly to our readers as a reminder of the continuing need for voluntary action in our community. Consider it a tip sheet for investing the currency of gratitude.