Jessica C. Lindley, an active philanthropist in the Austin community, is spotlighted this month as our Voice of the Month. 

The reward for breathing is not applause but air.
The reward for climbing is not a promotion but new sight.
The reward for kindness is not being seen as kind, but the electricity of giving that keeps us alive
- Mark Nepo

I remember as a child the generosity of my parents who gave not only their time and money to charity, but their passion.  Whenever my parents gave, I saw how they gave without judgment, without question, and taught me that we always have choices in life.  For years I choose to chase success, or what I thought was success -- a career-path to an abundance of money, big house filled with possessions, and frequent escapes to other places.  Giving was not part of my "success factor".  I thought I was being generous by donating my time when it was convenient, or when I donated my discarded items, or when I donated a few dollars here and there, or when I donated to attend an event. Although this was a form of giving, it was more like transferring.  I was transferring my assets of time, possessions, and money and expecting a return on my "investment" -- dividends paid into my "I'm a kind person account.” 

I was working in health care consulting not using my criminal justice degree and thought I really should do something with my degree just in case I wanted to use it someday.  So I volunteered at domestic violence program near my office -- how convenient!  The program worked with victims AND offenders to reach reconciliation. So all of the sudden I was in a group meeting for violent offenders asking people to sign in, making coffee, and working a slide projector.  It was awful!   I was here to impart my knowledge not make coffee!  It felt like a waste of my time and energy, especially since these were "unkind" people who needed my knowledge!  And then.....I heard a man speak of his life and how he grew up not knowing he had choices.  Not knowing what kindness was. Not knowing how to give. It had taken him 8 years in prison to realize he could choose how to live his life, choose how to use his time, choose how to spend his money, choose how to treat others. And if he continued to take and not give, to harm and not love, then his life would be worthless. Here was a man who had lived a life of violence and inflicted his life violence on others and was making a choice to chang--not for acceptance or because it was asked of him, but because he wanted his life to be of worth.  In that man's face I saw humanity. I saw grace. I saw how I was full of judgment. How I was giving AND accepting if it was on MY terms.  I saw that giving was not about reward.  

My journey in giving has led me to see the difference between donating and giving; to accept that life is generous in its gifts of pain and happiness; and to learn that we become kind by giving without expectation of reward.  I Live Here, I Give Here shows the choices we have to give and the needs of our community.  Our community needs your kindness.  Our community needs you to give.