“There is no better exercise for your heart, than reaching down and helping to lift someone up.”
Bernard Meltzer
They say that you can make the world a better place simply by bringing a smile to someone’s face. Since 2008, Pavandeep Singh Dhaliwal, has been bringing smiles to the faces of the residents of St. Joseph’s Home, a haven for the aged and destitute. He is part of an independent group of volunteers who have dedicated themselves to making Saturday mornings for the residents of a number of such homes special. Their plan is simple. Every Saturday morning they visit the residents of these homes and serve them the choicest of local breakfast snacks.
The volunteers, who are themselves from different religions and racial backgrounds, truly capture the essence of sewa, selfless service regardless of race or religion. Pavandeep’s Saturdays start with an early morning visit to Teka Market where the volunteers meet to purchase various goodies such as roti prata, puttu mayam, vaadai and yu cha queh. What they purchase is dependent on the requests of the residents. It is straight to St. Joseph’s Home then where the residents eagerly look forward to their Saturday morning treat. It is not only the meal that the residents look forward to, they enjoy having a listening ear and someone to dote over them. And of course, they have someone to share their weekly gossip with. For many, Saturday mornings are the highlight of the week.
The power of a kind word and a small act of love is very often underest imated. The smiling faces of the residents belie how much the act of kindness by Pavandeep and his fellow volunteers means to them. Yet, if you ask Pavandeep about his experience he is quick to point out that he has gained immensely from his weekly visits to the Home. Seeing the happiness in the eyes of the residents brings immeasurable joy to him. The experience has also enabled him to develop his ability to communicate and interact with people of all ages and from all walks of life.
Next Saturday morning when settling down to your breakfast, ask yourself how many smiles are you going to give to the world today?
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