I encountered a shop that I just could not pass by during my visit to town yesterday. Wait for it - a FREE BOOK shop!! You have permission to swoon. Yes, they really do exist. Members of the public donate books and you - as a customer - are able to walk right in and just take books home FREE, gratis, costing nothing. I still have not recovered from the excitement, though I was magnificently restrained and only brought one book back with me ('Gardens by the Sea').
But the important fact hidden in the jolly description is that this place could not survive without volunteers to run it. The two lovely women in the photographs are just such facilitators. They are, in fact, holding up the newsletter of Fair Close Day Centre - our local Elder 'hub' where people can meet for a hot meal and a chat, and attend different workshops, outings and other events for a very reasonable fee. These two women - who are keeping the bookshop open - are also volunteers there, ensuring that those seniors who may otherwise sit at home, living and eating alone and waiting for the hours to slowly tick past have somewhere where they can find sustenance (of body and soul), companionship and understanding. How vitally important this is!
Our communities would not function without volunteers; they keep the wheels rolling and the engines oiled, for no return other than companionship and the knowledge that they are putting something really good and worthwhile into the world (though they would probably modestly deny it).
I don't think most volunteers get anything like the recognition that they deserve - so from this individual citizen, on behalf of all of us who benefit from your given time and effort - thank you. You are valued and deeply appreciated.
Journal prompt - Write about volunteering. Do you give your time and effort to a cause or enterprise? What do you put in? What do you get out? If you don't volunteer at the moment - have you ever thought of doing so? There are local volunteer bureaux in most towns - might now be a good time to take a look and see how the talents that you undoubtedly have may be given in the service of others?
Indeed they do! Volunteers keep our village hall, village church, village groups (history group, book group, WI, craft group, monthly coffee mornings), all functioning. They are the essence of community - hooray for volunteers! And yes, hubby and I both play our part :)
(btw We have a wee free book 'library' in the old red phone box, but a whole shop would be wonderful!!)
Posted by: Claire | Saturday, August 24, 2019 at 08:18