There are certain times of the year that we all feel the need to be born again or to become a better person. The need is seated so deep into our being that sometimes we don't even have a clue what we need to make ourselves into the person that we feel the need to become.

So often, this need turns us to trying to make ourselves better physically. Although that is a noble undertaking, we may feel even worse when we fail to reach our "better person" goal. I have felt this so many times that I thought I was a born failure.

Then one day I decided that it might not be a better body that I needed, but a better heart. I had long admired how my Grandmother seemed to open her heart to all that she met. I was always so awed by her ability to make everyone she met feel like one of the family.

She was always doing for others. If you went to her house, you would find a quilt either in the frame being quilted, or she would be piecing a new quilt top. These quilts were given to her children, grandchildren, or anyone that needed some warmth. If you were hungry, she always had food to share. Her normal way of welcoming you into her home was "Have you et yet?" No, that is not a typo, she was as southern as they come. For me, she will be the perfect example of southern hospitality at its finest.

She was one of the few people that I have ever met that didn't have the need to become a better person. Over the years, I tried to fill the need to be a better person with education, diets, workouts, and friendships. The problem is that wasn't what was needed to fulfill my need.

One day, I started listening to what my heart kept trying to tell me. I turned to helping others. Okay, I didn't do it as well as my grandmother did, but I did it in the way that worked for me. I started helping others online. I started doing chats and talking to others online through email groups.

If someone needed cheering up or a friendly ear, I was there. Is someone needed help finding something online, I would help him or her search. If someone needed an article for a web site, then I would start putting words together. Sure I ended up burned out, but that was because of the fact that I felt that I wasn't doing enough. Instead of looking at the number of folks that I had helped, I looked at the number that needed help that I couldn’t provide.

You may be wondering what this has to do with you or with volunteering. Honestly, it may not have anything to do with you or volunteering for most people. For me, volunteering to help others and follow as close to the path my grandmother took in helping others, is what made me the better person that I longed to become. I still have quite a ways to go to being half the person my grandmother was and may never be that good. It did my heart good to hear my mom say that my grandmother would be proud of me and that I was like her in many ways. I felt the need fill with love as she said those words.

You may not have the same experiences as I have had, but you may find that volunteering may lead you to whatever it is that is needed to fill that need that keeps you searching for a way to become a better person.