Support to Grow On

I reclined in the dentist chair with my mouth wide open, mouthguard in place, and safety glasses on. You would think I was preparing for some outrageous adventure, and not updating the existing version of a filling in my mouth. My hands lay in a restful pose on my stomach. My friend, and dentist, chattered away about the things she knew I was involved in as she prepared to give my Novocain injections. She told me I was an inspiration to her to get out in the community and give her time and expertise to those who need it most.
I completely agreed and voiced my muffled, "Ah, hah," as best I could.
My skilled dentist continued to work and speak to me about the passion required.
"Yah," I said, trying not to nod my head with her instruments working away in my mouth.
She continued her train of thought and voiced the need for a huge time commitment as well to give service.
"Uh, huh!" I replied, raising my eyebrows expressively while trying not to sweat under the lamp. I wished I could use my hands to communicate with my limited, but useful sign language skills, that the time she had to give would be sufficient. Volunteering for your cause need not consume your life, unless it is your life, as I often feel it is in my own. Sharing your passion and strengths could take as little as an hour a week, or fifteen minutes, or even the flash of a smile at someone who needs it. My friend, Shari, adds her light of love to a store clerk she sees each week by smiling at the checkout. The store clerk stopped scanning food long enough to tell her that she was the best part of her day. How long did all of that take?
My dentist stopped mid-motion to realize the "Ah, Hah!" moment in this picture. "What you need is a really good support team at home," she continued, "Diane, you have a great support team in place at home, right?"
"Bingo!" I thought, as I voiced, "Ahhhh." My husband, my wonderful support, who barbecues chicken at our Buddy Walk for Down syndrome all day, who does dishes, who loves me and hugs my heaps of worries and fatigue at times, who gets involved with my mentoring program by overseeing the coaching of ten tiny rug rats on the soccer field...Yep, my support is pretty awesome! He's the one who holds my hand when we hike without words. Our separate conversations in our minds mingle with integrated thoughts about life, work, and kids. He's the one I bounce off every crazy idea and "what if" I've got. He's also the one who tells me to put my hand down when I want to volunteer to sharpen all the pencils, too. He often knows my limits better than I do, but sometimes I do things anyway just to prove that I have enough drive and passion to see it through.
By the time the dental procedure was finished, and all of the garb removed, I could have said all that I was thinking. I stood up and faced my friend and couldn't remember a single comment. All that I wanted to walk away with was the thought about my support at home. My support gives me inspiration. That inspiration helps me go on...and keep growing on.