Return to a Life of Service

The word for the week is "Return."

Return the smile, return the compliment, return the touch, return the gift, return the favor!

Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was a servant leader that encouraged each of us to make service to others a part of our lives and work.

Not everybody can be famous, but everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service.” -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Check this out!!! Stephanie Brown of the University of Michigan did a study on seniors and found that individuals who provided practical help to friends, relatives, or neighbors, or gave emotional support to their spouses, had a lower risk of dying over a five-year period than those who didn’t. Interestingly, receiving help wasn’t linked to a reduced death risk.

Not enough time? There are benefits to writing a check! Another study found that giving money to someone else lifted participants’ happiness more that spending it on themselves, despite participants’ prediction that spending on themselves would make them happier. When people give to charities, it activates regions of the brain associated with pleasure, social connection, and trust, creating a “warm glow” effect. Scientists also believe that altruistic behavior releases endorphins in the brain, producing the positive feeling known as the “helper’s high.”

I will give abundantly and perform random acts of kindness.

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