Yesterday was my volunteer day. That’s the one day per week where I basically go into work like most American adults. Ha! I put on my grown-up clothes–things like trousers instead of yoga pants–and I work for someone besides my family. I mean, I’m a mom, so of course I do work everyday, but on volunteer day I do a different kind of work.
I love it. I re-shelf books at the boys’ school library, and I help Mrs. Dubose with her current project. And once all that is done, I do my favorite part of all. I catalog, label, dot, stamp, and tape new books to go on our library shelves, all while being available to check out books for kids.
These are a few of my favorites for early readers, all on a 1st grade reading level.
This is the best job I’ve had in ages, and I do it all for free. Volunteering or trying out different jobs has been the only way for me to figure out what I enjoy doing and what I don’t.
Don’t wait around for someone to ask you to do a volunteer job. Figure out what you’d like to try and go ask to do that thing.
Otherwise, I’ve always found that if you don’t busy yourself with what you enjoy doing, other people will find work that you may NOT enjoy doing for you to do!
That’s happened to me a few times too. Nursery duty, anyone?? Aughhhhh!!! Every time I’ve ever been given church nursery duty, I lived in dread that week of Sunday because I didn’t want to do it. We all do a better job and help more people when we do what we’re good at, not what we just couldn’t say no to.
You may think it’s ironic that I love working in the library since I wrote this post: How We Got Banned From the Library, but my inability to return things I borrow on time actually doesn’t at all affect how much I love books and cataloging new ones and bringing order to shelves ransacked by tiny hands. How I love it!
I wish I could love restoring order to my house as much as I love tidying up the library. What is that? Why is it that it’s more fun to do things away from home? I got nothing. I can’t explain that phenomenon.
My VBS class made this this summer, and that’s when I realized I could totally be okay with teaching Sunday school. This was fun too! The older I get the more things I find that I enjoy.
So you know what I fell in love with this year? The library. Again. It’s a love I’ve had since childhood, though it worked so much better when I had my ever-responsible mother to make me return the books on time.
This time I’m loving being on the other side of the desk. I even have my own account at the school library now. You know why? You’ll laugh–I hope. See, I checked out a book on Caleb’s account, without his knowledge, and then I lost that book. I know. I still can’t find it!!
Well, my boys, believe it or not, never lose books and rarely acquire fines, so when Caleb went to check out a book and discovered that he couldn’t because he had a way overdue book, he was pretty upset with me…..So Mrs. Dubose did us a solid, and switched that book to my account.
Working in the library has also helped me find more ideas of good books to share with my boys.
That was a month ago. I still can’t find that book. It won’t be the first time I’ve bought a book that I’ve lost. Life will go on. The library is still a great privilege. It’s still saving us money to check out most of our books rather than buying most of our books.
Remember when I was a young adult, and I tried job after job, and felt like such a flake because I couldn’t find one that fit? Well, I’m 36 now, and I’m happy to report that I’ve found several.
Mom. Blogger. Writer. Librarian. Sunday School teacher.
I officially love all of these jobs. How blessed am I!? Sometimes you just have to give things time and trial and error, right?
How about you? Have you ever found your passion through volunteering? What jobs do you love?
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We love Mo Willems. If you haven't yet check out Knuffle Bunny (there's a Too and Free also). And the piggy and elephant books are awesome, too.
We do too. My 4th son even has a stuffed pigeon and a stuffed Elephant Gerald. We've never read Knuffle Bunny. We will be sure too!
Since I work from home I love when I have to get up early and get dressed like a real grown up. I even love morning traffic, it’s the little things. I could see you working at a Library. Volunteering feeds my soul. LOL, I remember the post about your being banned from the Library.
Yes! Doesn’t it feel so adult. Like this is me taking on the world. Ha!!
In middle school I worked at the school library and loved it! Maybe I need to return to something like that when it gets crazy around here. Sorting and organizing soothed my soul :)
I bet you'd still love it.
I feel the same about nursery duty 😂😟. I would rather wash dishes, take a beating....but I take my turn cause we’re a small church. It’s my turn this week, actually 😭
Awww! Yes, I can do relate. I’ve done that so many times at small churches! Then I’d feel guilty for hoping no one would come. Lol
Yes!!😂
I think that I'd find it soothing to my OCD and just the sounds and smells. Who doesn't love library books?
My next door neighbors have four adult children, and their daughter and her two daughters moved back in with them from far away. I think something bad happened but here they are! And the mother started volunteering at the library and is now working there full time.
Maybe someday I will get a library job. I just love it!
I love the volunteering emphasis here. One of my roles at our hospice in addition to chaplain is Volunteer Coordinator. It has been a challenging role to recruit volunteers until recently. It is a rather tedious process of online training, etc. The thing I find about volunteering my time and service is how God fulfills us most when we give.
Yes! Volunteering benefits both the community and the volunteer. I learned it from my mom. :) And you're right. God does fulfill us when we give. Great point.
I used to volunteer at a library which later led me to working as a shelver at a library! To this day that is still one of my most favorite jobs I have ever had and I really hope one day I can do again. It's so enjoyable!
Yes! Maybe one day I'll get to work as a shelver too. :)