via Daily Prompt: Volunteer

Volunteering comes in many forms. Of course, since I am animal person, my first thought is volunteering to help animals. But that has always been a challenge for me.

If I were to volunteer at a Humane Society, I would cry seeing all the animals waiting for a new home or waiting on a worse fate. I looked into volunteering at a zoo and then decided I couldn’t stand seeing these animals in captivity. I thought about visiting nursing homes with dogs as therapy, but when I tried it I realized it was not for me. One of the elderly women there had told me they wouldn’t let her have her dog at the nursing home. She was so concerned about her dog that I went to the desk and asked them about it. They said she didn’t have a dog. The elderly lady said she did have a dog and that they just wouldn’t listen to her. I felt so uncomfortable and didn’t know what to think.

This wasn’t the only encounter I had with nursing homes. A while back, I taught computer classes to preschool children at a center that was connected to a nursing home. The children would have chapel time with the residents on the same day I was teaching there, so sometimes I would have to bring them to chapel when we finished our computer time. I would have to walk them down a long hallway that went past many resident rooms to get to the chapel area. One day on the way back down the hallway after dropping the children off, an elderly woman was following me telling me that someone was trying to kill her. I asked questions to see if I could figure out why she might be saying this. Again, being so uncomfortable and not sure what in the world to think, I told her she should tell one of the people who work there. I had to quickly punch in the code and get through the door that led back down to the childcare center, as she was trying to follow me through the door. Yikes! God bless them and I realize we will all be old one day, but I would not do well working with the elderly.

Then there are veterinarian clinics to volunteer at, but I would have to see hurt animals. I could volunteer to foster animals, but then I would become too attached and want to keep them all. Etc, etc, etc.

So for ME, I need to be behind the scenes, doing things like this…writing a post.

On my “About” page I say:

“There are many ways we can all help animals. Donating items to shelters, writing letters, signing petitions, volunteering time at an animal organization, sharing my posts to spread the word, and much more!”

The main purpose of my blog is to spread awareness about animal abuse issues, so this is one of the main ways I am volunteering to help animals.

I am grateful that there are people who are stronger than I am emotionally, and can help animals in the ways I can not. This is what makes us all so important! We all have a purpose! We all need each other! You help out at an animal shelter and I will spread awareness!

Much love from Cino & I!