One of the most difficult features of learning to serve is to develop persistence. In Kevin Eikenberry’s book, Vantagepoints On Learning and Life, he relates a story from his past Lessons from a Lawn Needing Improvement. In it, he talks about clearing some rocks from his yard in the month of July and how difficult it is to remove rocks that have been cemented into the soil by being baked in the sun. The lesson about the rock, he says is this: “Persistence is always about hard work; sometimes it is more about wiggling away at a situation. When you think you may not succeed, wiggle a little more.”

There are those among us who never give up on wiggling the rock. During the last year of my mother-in-law’s life she suffered a heart attack and a stroke. She was resting at home one day when Beth and I visited her to see if she needed anything.

Beth noticed a jar of peaches on the kitchen counter. Beth asked if her brother, Wendell had been there and my mother-in-law responded “No. Why do you think he was here?”

And Beth replied, “Well, then, who got the peaches from the basement?”

“Well, I did.” was the reply. She was unable to walk down to the basement, so she crawled on her bottom down the steps, retrieved the peaches and then crawled back up the stairs.

She did not want to trouble the rest of the family but wanted to remain independent.

Given Kevin’s story, I can now envision her, wiggling the rocks in her garden much like I have envisioned her crawling to the basement.

Persistence . . .a vision to remind me to not give up in serving others. Never.

Kevin’s book can be found at http://vantagepoints.net.

With all of the turmoil in the world, it is often difficult to think about learning to serve. But, it is that turbulence that provides the greatest challenges to service. World events may preoccupy us to the extent of paralysis. How can service to our local community and to individuals be important when world peace is threatened? How will our service impact the “big” picture?

The recent tragedies at Fort Hood and elsewhere remind us of the importance of serving, even in small ways. The images of the long funeral processions symbolize the unity that can result, even among and across disparate community elements. The reaction of the Amish community in reaching out to the family of the perpetrator of the killings in Lancaster stands as a testament to the possibilities of the service of forgiveness. This unity stands in contrast to the conflict, terror, violence, death and destruction that exists in much of the rest of the world.

The many small service acts of community members can have a powerful impact, not only on the immediate community, but can provide a model for the rest of us.

I have re- read Kevin Eikenberry’s excellent book, Vantagepoints on Learning and Life: Finding Learning Opportunities in Everyday Situations. It is a great companion piece to Learning to Serve, Serving to Learn: Leaving the Selfish Life Behind.

Kevin provides descriptions of how you can reframe your perspective to “learn” in every situation. Often, we sometime drift through the day without really thinking about what incidents and events are telling us. As I continue to read through this, I will share additional perspectives. It can be found on on Kevin’s site, http://www.kevineikenberry.com.