Up and down el Rio Blanco: Volunteer

Dios te pagar,” my mom tells me or anyone who does a favor for her.
The saying translates “God will pay you.” When my mom says it with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye, I know God has already paid me tenfold for my efforts. It is the same payment I receive when I volunteer. Sometimes I even get a great meal out of the deal.
Volunteering is the giving or sharing of one’s time and skills, without expecting payment in the form of money for one’s time and services.
God will be paying lots of Rio Blanco County residents for the time they volunteer in the next two weeks with Septemberfest in Rangely this weekend and the silver anniversary of the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Trials the following week in Meeker.
Hundreds of volunteers are needed for events like Septemberfest and the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Trials and only God can pay them for what their time and services are worth.
Volunteering is fun and I suggest it to anyone moving into the area or to people who say, “There is nothing to do here.”
Volunteering is a great way to meet and make friends, help out your favorite organizations, clubs and family and a good thing to teach your kids when they are young, although sometimes is takes a while.
Growing up, I remember whining and asking my mom why I had to “volunteer” my time to mow the yard, weed the garden or do the dishes. She would simply answer my question with one of her own – “Why do you think I had you boys?” my mom would ask in Spanish before telling me and/or my brothers to do something. One of the answers she gave us was not “just for our looks,” so we needed to get over ourselves and just get it done.
This is what volunteers do. They don’t whine or question, they just get it done so others can enjoy their efforts.
I hope to see everyone out enjoying the activities in Rio Blanco County in the next couple of weeks. Special thanks all the many volunteers who just get it done.
Dios te pagar.