Yesterday I got an invite in the mail to a "Very Important Volunteer Brunch" at the local homeless shelter I volunteer at. "Me? " I thought, "I'm not very important."

But then I thought through what I've accomplished in the year since I've been volunteering there. I hosted a dinner for residents, bringing my co-workers with me to cook spaghetti for 75 people. I watch the kids two nights a month at Children's Hour while their parents attend Life Skills classes, critical to helping them get back on their feet. I helped streamline the Children's Hour program when staff needed ideas on how to improve the program. When the Children's Coordinator needed extra tutors, I took on tutoring a young boy. And when the Program Coordinator had an idea for a new program - a Mom's Night Out support group for graduates of the shelter - I joined the committee to create the program.

It got me thinking - maybe I am important to them. But what is more poignant is how important the shelter has become to me. It's a community I am a part of. When I run into the parents & children I work with, we talk and I am genuinely interested in how they are doing. Making sure the child I tutor succeeds in school is one of my priorities. Watching the kids after a long day of work is the perfect de-stressor for me. And, most importantly, it keeps my life in perspective and teaches me how much I have to be thankful for.