Thanks to the unsung volunteer

This one is for you.

The one we don't see, don't hear, don't notice, don't read about, but the one that gets the work done.

We don't read about you in the newspaper, watch about you on the six o'clock news or stand and applaud at your ceremony. But we should.

We should applaud you and that is what this column is for.

You should be applauded for helping that friend who was down and out, no hope in the world and ready to give in, but you were there, like a shadow that goes unnoticed, but always present.

It was you that helped that old lady take her garbage out, or mowed her lawn, but she never knew it was you. And you prefer it that way.

During the winter, you shovel walks down the street, but no one knows.

I know a few of you, but I won't place your names here so that you, in your quiet way, can keep serving without worrying about the plaudits that follow.

Sometimes I wish I was more like you. Sometimes I wish I didn't keep looking over my shoulder trying to see who is watching me serve someone else.

I wish I didn't have to think about what it would be like to be standing on a stage, in front of a microphone as I wait for that large crowd to sit down after a long, standing ovation. I wish I could pretend not to give that speech about why I helped that person in need and then go through the list of all those I need to thank.

Sometimes, I wish I was more like you.

Because I know I will probably never see you in front of a large crowd, waiting for that ovation to end, shuffling your index cards full of notes and readying yourself for that acceptance speech.

But then again, you are the one that deserve those moments more than the group we see so often on the six o'clock news. Sometimes that group is pompous and prideful in their service and sometimes they are not.

You're not like that though, that is always a guarantee.

That's why, I wish I was more like you.

And while you don't get your constant compliments, your the constant in many prayers of thankfulness. From little old ladies, to children who needed that high-five.

And because you have never sought out the attention for your service, I would just like to say "thank you."

Brad Redford is the sports editor of the Columbia Basin Herald.