We had the privilege of sitting down with Hazel as she told us how volunteering has changed her life. At 72 years old, Hazel wasn’t sure she wanted to volunteer. After decades of working in health care, she hesitated at the idea of "working for free." She had spent a lifetime caring for others, and now, in retirement, she questioned whether stepping back into the new Ksyen Regional Hospital (this time without a paycheque) was the right choice.
That uncertainty lingered until one morning when she read a scripture that stirred something inside her. Inspired, she picked up her guitar and decided to bring music into the hospital, offering songs to patients who wanted to listen. What started as a simple idea quickly became something much greater.
One day, after singing for a patient, a family member approached her and asked if she would play for another loved one down the hall. Hazel agreed, and over the next few weeks, she built a deep connection with that family, offering comfort through music in ways that words never could.
When their loved one passed away, the family reached out again, not for another hospital visit, but to ask if she would sing at his funeral.
That moment changed everything for Hazel. In sharing her music, she had unknowingly stepped into a new purpose, one she never expected but now deeply cherished. Volunteering was no longer about filling time or "working for free." It had become a way to bring healing, connection, and meaning, not only to the people in the hospital she played for, but to herself as well.
Hazel’s story is a testament to the unexpected ways we find purpose, even when we think we’ve already lived out our calling. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the greatest gifts we have to offer aren’t in what we’ve done before, but in what we can do now, in the moments that matter most.
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