The campaign trail for endorsement in Multiple District 5 to seek the opportunity to run for International Director can cause candidates to think about who they are and how they come across to other Lions. As you might expect, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and headiness of the moment. That’s why I was humbled and grateful last week to receive an unsolicited endorsement from a fellow Lion from northern Saskatchewan who saw me as being “an ordinary Lion willing to do ordinary things.”
I’d like to share what he wrote on my Facebook page:
“Just saw your photo montage on Facebook and I thought it was excellent! Up to now I have not really committed to any candidate for International Director as both you and Tom are great people for this office; however, after viewing your photo montage, it reminded me of the Canada/U. S. A. Lions Leadership Forum in Kansas City last September and the one incident that has stuck with me. You were instrumental in organising a supper on Friday evening for all those people from MD-5 and you were having us drive to each hotel to make sure that all of us were included in the supper; during the drive, because of lack of space, you volunteered to ride in the back behind the seats and joked with us about being “kidnapped” in case the police noticed! That particular evening, as important as you were and the many offices that you have held, you struck me as being an ordinary Lion willing to do ordinary and/or unusual things – that was a very grass-roots incident and it made me feel very good about you. As a consequence of that event, I have, after many months, decided to support you fully and hopefully be part of your campaign for International Director. I am honoured to know you and hope that I can be one of your acquaintances in the years to come. Thank you for being who you are, and please don’t ever change – you are one of a kind that has not let higher office make you forget where your origins are and what a pleasure it is to mingle with us lower Lions.”
It’s comments like this that make me even more committed to seek the opportunity to serve at the international level; because through service I can represent the interests of Lions who may consider themselves to be “ordinary,” but in truth are “extraordinary.” It is an honor to be serving side-by-side with the Lions of Multiple District 5 on projects to help those in need; and it is I who hope to remain more than “an acquaintance” but a good friend in the upcoming years because we share a common dream: That every man, woman, and child who needs a helping hand will find a Lion there to lift them up and help them have a brighter tomorrow.
–Lion Robert Littlefield
Lion Robert Littlefield's "Service from the Heart" Blog 