Can you believe it??? In just ten days, those of us traveling from the USA and Mexico, through Newark's Liberty International Airport will say our "Goodbyes" to our loved ones and colleagues, maybe even make that last Rotary Club meeting before we depart and then converge in Terminal C and gather - as is tradition - at Gallagher's Steakhouse for dinner in the banquet room. It is there that Kelly Wike will bring our nametags and we will begin the process of getting acquainted with new team members and renewing friendships with past members. Peter and Kim Miller will bring along the Team Shirts that I had made (and shipped to them) to give to those members flying with us that evening, and we will share stories of how we happen to be a part of ROTARY DREAM TEAM - INDIA 2012... these stories can be very poignant and often take many of us by surprise - did we know a friend or have a family member who suffered from polio? did WE suffer from polio when we were kids? did we become totally committed to Rotary International's single corporate project of ridding the world of polio? What was it? What intrigued us to further explore the possibilities of joining a group of Rotarians and friends of Rotary to venture half-way around the world, to stay in accommodations which many of us would refuse to stay in if we were traveling within our own countries, to "camp out" in tents in the middle of a remote area in the state of Rajasthan, where it can get very cold at night and very hot during the day. What made us think we could endure the rudimentary toilet facilities in our tents - perhaps for the first time taking a "bucket bath" or a one-minute shower, and washing our hair (should we have any to wash) and putting up with the fact that there is NO HAIR DRYER, and perhaps the towels are small and scratchy? What makes us do this?
The answer is sumple, although somewhat varied depending upon the person answering... it is ROTARY. It is why we joined this worldwide, international organization of men and women - some 1.2 million strong - not for personal gain or for increasing our business, but rather for reaching out to those less fortunate and making a contribution back to our communities, making a positive difference in the lives of total strangers, but making that difference nonetheless. It is all about relationships, and it is all about giving back. However one puts it, it is all about SERVICE ABOVE SELF.
If we succeed in moving forward with the effort to END POLIO NOW, and we actually roll up our sleeves and put on our work gloves and carry basins of rocks or sand or masala (aka, concrete mix) and be forced to nurse our aches and pains at the end of the day, then we can acknowledge that we made a difference, we served others before ourselves.
PEACE THROUGH SERVICE is the theme and motto for the upcoming Rotary year, and each of us is working toward that goal. Thanks for supporting us in our efforts to reach that goal.
The answer is sumple, although somewhat varied depending upon the person answering... it is ROTARY. It is why we joined this worldwide, international organization of men and women - some 1.2 million strong - not for personal gain or for increasing our business, but rather for reaching out to those less fortunate and making a contribution back to our communities, making a positive difference in the lives of total strangers, but making that difference nonetheless. It is all about relationships, and it is all about giving back. However one puts it, it is all about SERVICE ABOVE SELF.
If we succeed in moving forward with the effort to END POLIO NOW, and we actually roll up our sleeves and put on our work gloves and carry basins of rocks or sand or masala (aka, concrete mix) and be forced to nurse our aches and pains at the end of the day, then we can acknowledge that we made a difference, we served others before ourselves.
PEACE THROUGH SERVICE is the theme and motto for the upcoming Rotary year, and each of us is working toward that goal. Thanks for supporting us in our efforts to reach that goal.
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