Brett was in Boise this past week, so we had the girls and their schedules. Keeping up with kids is a full-time job. We were busy and the week flew by. Friday night rolled around, Brett was on his way home, and Hadley and Elle were gathering their stuff from all over the house. I had been down to Grandma Red’s and when I got home, I went downstairs to see how “The Gathering” was coming. Hadley was making her bed. Elle was, in her words “deep cleaning.” She had the broom, dustpan, and duster. She was engaged. The bed had been redecorated. The rug repositioned and the dresser stripped of nail polish petroglyphs that had long been what I thought was a permanent monument to unsupervised children. Boy, was I surprised!

Next, I went upstairs and pulled the Welsh meeting minutes off the printer which Rox had sent, and I hadn’t taken the time to review yet. It consisted of a list of volunteers and their doings for the upcoming Welsh Festival. Lots of people, lots of hours, all for lots of fun and learning for the last weekend in June. Then, I picked up the Enterprise, which I hadn’t read yet, and again witnessed several examples of volunteering.

About that time Elle came bouncing up the stairs in a great mood. She was rattling on about how I could turn the bedspread downstairs over because it had stars on it which would be perfect for the Fourth of July. Her volunteering had led to information about the bedspread she had never noticed before. Her efforts had made her better. I started thinking about what I had learned by being involved with the Welsh Festival: Things like what part of Wales I was from. The savory goodness of rarebit. Making the trip to Wales. Learning to count on others. Not to mention, listening to some great poetry and learning to appreciate the harmonizing of a Welsh Men’s Choir. Now, I was in a good mood, too.

There seemed to be a theme: volunteering and good moods. Winston Churchill is credited with saying: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Giving at home, in the neighborhood and the community puts you in a good mood and that makes for the Good Life. 

Hope to see everyone Friday and Saturday at the park. Be sure to appreciate all the volunteers. They’ll be the ones living the Good Life!