Hope and friendship: How Rotary provides a weekly chance for renewal in all seasons
by Charlie Price
As the seasons turn from winter to spring, we are reminded of our community’s vitality. Icy days turn to rain and finally to sunshine, and seeing our friends and neighbors lends to a perspective focused on hope and renewal.
Putting our best foot forward is easier to do with inspiration and on sunny days, but Rotarians are called to address community challenges no matter the season. More than a fair weather friend, we are committed to effecting local change in all seasons. Spring’s sense of rejuvenation is not only a once-a-year phenomenon at Rotary. Raising awareness of important issues, noticing details previously unseen and enjoying each other’s company are available to us throughout the year.
Just as the hope of spring waits on the horizon, we know to count on the good Rotary offers. Listening to speakers with an open mind plants the seed for curiosity and solutions to grow, blossom and flourish. When gardens are well tended, they bloom for all. Whether we are hearing about critical infrastructure, how to help our fellow Oklahomans or better understanding Rotary’s global mission to help vaccinate children throughout the world, the places we carry that knowledge can thrive.
Winter yields to spring and before we know it, summer will follow, with its soaring temperatures and long afternoons. Spring reminds us there is no time like the present to make the most of our days together, the opportunity to be part of something bigger than ourselves and prepare for harder seasons or meet people where they are as they work through thorny issues.
Quality of life can be counted in many ways. I have made new friendships and connections throughout my time in Rotary, as well as reconnected with previous acquaintances. The broader focus on how we can help one another, friends yet to be made and strangers in need brings its own variety of hope, a hybrid I have not found elsewhere.
As the calendar turns to warmer months, I challenge every Rotarian to continue to make time for purposeful participation. Like so many of life’s small joys, Rotary is what we make it. The impact of our collective actions reaches far and wide when every person does their part.