As a military spouse, the term volunteer either brings a smile, or makes you roll your eyes hard. Or maybe both because the term itself has been deeply engraved into the character of a military spouse. We are even nicknamed “professional volunteers” (understand the eye roll suggestion, now?). But not everyone is a volunteer or even enjoys serving others. That is perfectly fine, but for me, I love everything about volunteering. Serving others is my passion. It was no surprise to learn that my love language is “acts of service.”
Often times , I am told by people I am involved in everything. Well that is not true, I am involved in a lot, but not everything. I do try to volunteer in places I know I can be of help or service. But most importantly, I try to serve with organizations that personally mean something to me. I am so thankful for this military life for so many of these organizations that mean so much to me, and giving me the opportunity to serve the military community. The military itself is an act of volunteerism, and an opportunity to serve our country.
If you are someone wanting to get involved within your community, I highly advise finding a place to volunteer. The military life offers so many of these opportunities. Most likely you are in a town that is not your hometown, so these opportunities are also a great way to meet others and learn the community and what all there is to do around the area. You can volunteer small or big, and you don’t have to be out front in center with people to be volunteering. I am an extrovert and enjoy being around others, so I choose to serve in areas where I can be social. But I also enjoy serving with my skills by working behind scenes or even from my home. You can start by finding your family readiness group or the chapel on base. You could be more personal and take a meal to a neighbor in need. There are always service members in the barracks without family nearby that love home cooked meals on holidays or a random Taco Tuesday. Dropping coffee of baked goods off to the gate guards is also a fun simple act of service you can do. I love that our church also serves our military community, and I volunteer a lot with our church.
The military life gives us so many opportunities to serve in addition to my husband’s job serving this country. I am thankful for these opportunities, the rewarding feeling of serving others in this community, the relationships I have made just by volunteering. These experiences and feelings are what has made some of the best memories of this military life.
