I shouldn’t have been surprised, I guess, to read that Princess Diana had once said,

                “Carry out a random act of kindness with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”

 

So, I read the article in the Parade Magazine that comes with the Sunday Ventura Star, all about the charity work she did in over 100 charities around the world.   This quote resonated with me, but what really caught my attention is what she said about her two sons.  Never mind that they are “royals,” wealthy, privileged, protected.  They especially needed to learn the lesson about the realities of the real world.  So, she took them as children to a homeless hostel so they could see reality for so many people in our world. And she continued to expose them over time to what is reality for millions of people.

 

                “I want them to have an understanding of people’s emotions, people’s insecurities, people’s distress and people’s hopes and dreams.”

 

Where am I going with this?   Why, right to Rotary!   What we do as Rotarians, what we feel as human beings trying to do good in our world, what we feel as parents and grandparents toward the future of our children, all boils down to this: “Be kind and carry on.”   We, as Rotarians, are teaching our kids and grandkids that it is important to care.  It is important to understand that not all people are as fortunate as we.  It is important to understand and take action on the idea of Service Above Self!  It is important to volunteer your time (and money) if you can.  It is important to do what Rotarians do every day…help out, give a hand up, provide tools for a better future, one child, one person, one family at a time.  Princess Diana did and her sons are “carrying on.”  Let us continue to do the same.

 

Harriet Clune

Rotary Ventura East

President 2017-2018