How giving a little can grant you a lot back
I AM fortunate that my kids are of an age that they still sometimes laugh at my jokes, even the bad ones.
Opinion
Don't miss out on the headlines from Opinion. Followed categories will be added to My News.
I AM fortunate that my kids are of an age that they still sometimes laugh at my jokes, even the bad ones.
One of my favourites is joking that most people who know me around town know me either for wearing a dress or my pyjamas.
My dress of course refers to the robes that I wear in liturgical worship.
My pyjamas are in fact my training uniform for rhee taekwondo, a martial art I practice.
The reason some people know me from that is that I assist in teaching one of the kids' classes each week, as well as participating in the training.
As a minister I also volunteer as a teacher of RI in the state school system.
All this leads me to the fact that, because it is school holidays, I missed my RI classes this week, as the kids are on well-earned breaks.
It may seem odd to say that missing them was one of the most important things I did this week, because it reminded me of the importance of broader community connections that I make, and that I am fortunate to be able to do so.
Of course I am not uniquely fortunate in being able to find a time to volunteer as many people do so, but I wonder two things.
Firstly if most of us spend the time to reflect on what that role brings to us personally, and secondly I wonder if those who don't engage in some self giving way know what they are missing out on.
I know that with the business of life, and the demands that all sorts of things place on our time, if I had not made a personal commitment to the two programs I am a part of I would have allowed them to fall by the wayside.
However because I have stuck with them I have gotten to be, in some small way a part of their lives, and they have been a part of mine.
I suspect that for many people who find they are unable or unwilling to create the space to volunteer, it is that very connection they are missing.
In short, this is my plea to you, that you consider what you could do to enrich the lives of others, and perhaps your own.
Originally published as How giving a little can grant you a lot back
Fudging on extremism has real consequences
The past 12 months has felt like a moral vacuum in Australia. Tolerance has failed to confront intolerance. Activists masquerading as politicians have parroted ugly demands.
‘Free lunches? He’s embarrassing himself more and more’
The more things change the more they stay the same … especially when it comes to free lunches. HAVE YOUR SAY
Penbo: Remember when the Greens used to be likeable?
Fast forward to 2024 and those triangular stickers now stand for something quite different from hugging trees, writes David Penberthy.
Maiden: Cashed-up Albo is rubbing young voters’ noses in it
It’s one thing to be loaded after decades in parliament but it’s another to flaunt it so close to an election, writes Samantha Maiden.
‘Only ordinary white males must obey rules – everyone else plays a card’
A female high school student who wore pants to school, prompting a discrimination complaint, has ultimately sparked fierce debate among Queenslanders. HAVE YOUR SAY
Downer: Don’t like Australia’s values? Australia’s not for you
Tolerance is a core Australian value and the pro-Islamic terrorism demonstrations show none whatsoever if you disagree with them, writes Alexander Downer.