One in a Million

It was over spring break last year, that my daughter and I were combing the beach looking for shells, starfish and sand dollars. We found literally hundreds of beautiful, “I can’t possibly throw these back” kind of shells on our first day out. As we neared the end of our trip, most of those were given back to the sea, because now, we had started to get picky.

No longer was the shell that was “a little” broken good enough. Now we were searching for perfection. We found copious amounts of shells that we brought home for one reason or another. One looked like a bird, one had a really pretty purple color to it, but the one thing we couldn’t find was that elusive whole, perfect sand dollar.

Now I have heard from people that they find these beauties “all the time.” Not us. My husband and I even went so far as to get up before dawn, drive down to the “really good spot” and search the beach with guys with metal detectors and ladies with shell-finding apparatus. Nope – struck out again.

It wasn’t until our last day there, that I took “one more walk” and looked “one more time” that I realized how much I had enjoyed “the hunt.” I talked about all kinds of things with my kids and enjoyed some rare quiet time with my husband at a time that I would have normally been sleeping soundly. It was ok that we didn’t find the sand dollar. It was about the journey. And true as true can be, at the moment that I was revisiting all of those hours searching, I looked down and there it was.

That sand dollar sits atop a bed of shells we brought home that year and reminds me always of the journey.

Each April, we celebrate our annual Golden Heart Volunteer Awards, honoring the incredible work of volunteers in Door County. I am always amazed at the amount of time, effort and dedication that these volunteers give to the people they serve. I love to hear about their own personal journeys as to how and why they chose to do what they do. I always walk away feeling as if I could do more. These volunteers are exactly like that perfect sand dollar. They are rare and beautiful and so appreciated by the one that finds them. Take a moment to thank someone you know who gives so much of themselves to the service of others. Make them your own personal sand dollar.

For volunteer opportunities in Door County, visit http://www.VolunteerDoorCounty.com or contact the Volunteer Center at 920.746.7704.