Since it is Tuesday I went to go visit my lunch buddy. She continues to amaze me with her wit, intelligence and, most of all, her stories. The more she tells me about her family the more I want to a) meet her mom, b) hang out with her little brother and c) tell her older brother to take care of her. First of all, her mom sounds amazing. I have an amazing mom of my own so I can appreciate stories like how her mom doesn’t believe in “beatings” because it is “too hard for her children;” punishments like extended stays inside and doing chores is an alternative to the constant hijinks that seem to go on in their household.
So my sweet little girl told me two stories today that stuck out in my head. First she told me about how she really wanted some candy from her momma’s jar (if you read my previous post, mom put a bell on the jar to ward off such nefarious candy-snatchers) so she took some tissue and stuffed it in the bell so it wouldn’t ring. Genius! I wanted to high-five her but thought better of it as I am supposed to be the mentor and role-model. This adorable tale was then quickly countered with a much darker one.
Her oldest brother, 17 and newly enlisted, came home on a short leave. They threw him a party where my sweetie had to wear a pink dress (gross!) and was forced to dance with her brother who stepped all over her toes. I smiled because I could just picture the two of them, my tomboy cutie and her tall brother dancing sweetly in the living room. She then told me that her brother wanted to go to college instead of being in the Army because he had to kill a little boy. He didn’t want to do that any more, she told me, he wants to be a doctor and help people. What can you possibly say to that? Of course she segued right into how she wouldn’t let him practice on her because he wouldn’t want to sew her back up again; this led into how she had recently watched “Snakes on a Plane” and described in detail the gory scenes that gave her nightmares later that night. So quickly the thought of death passed from her mind yet it hasn’t been able to leave mine.
God give her the strength to continue being so strong and intelligent; give me the ability to come visit with her every Tuesday.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bingo, inspiration, morale, one hour, patience, shelter, volunteer
Sure, there are only 24 hours in the day. On average people spend 7 of them sleeping, 9 of them traveling to, from and everything in between for work, which leaves eight hours that are quickly sucked up by eating, bathing, watching TV, helping the kids with homework, going for a quick jog and so much more. So how could you possibly ask me for a precious hour out of my day?
I know, even though I work from home and get to determine my own schedule sometimes it feels like I simply don’t even have an extra hour to eat or do what I want to do. But what I really need to do is spend that hour doing something that isn’t for myself. It is amazing how just 60 minutes can transform your day and outlook on life.
As mentioned in a previous post a friend of mine works for the largest shelter in our city. When I asked about volunteer opportunities he mentioned playing Bingo with the women and children who are staying there; at first, this didn’t seem like enough. I wanted to get dirty, raise money, help cook dinner or do something that is normally associated with helping out our fellow man. But it seems that sitting down and organizing a game can do much more for the morale than spooning mounds of potatoes onto someone’s plate at dinnertime.
Since I am generally a shy person I was quite nervous to walk in and start this game; in fact, truth be told, I almost canceled at the last moment. I have only played Bingo a few times but never led a game so the “guests” at the shelter helped me get started and after about ten women sat around to play we got the game rolling. There was a young girl about 3 years old who was so shy, just like I am, so I asked her if she wanted to help me spin the metal cage. Boy did she ever! Once she got the hang of it she was on a roll, quite literally. By the end of the hour she was handing them to me two at a time and I could barely read off the numbers before two more were placed delicately into my hands.
Although it was something small, there was something that this little girl did that made an impression on me that I haven’t been able to forget, nor do I want to. When another young girl, about 9 or so, asked to spin the wheel I said “of course” without thinking about my youngest friend. I turned to look at her and saw tears forming in the corners of her eyes, yet she was still so quiet. After a moment I realized why she was crying and asked if she wanted to spin it again on the next round. She nodded yes and patiently waited for her turn.
Now I know, at her age, I might have thrown a fit. As a former preschool teacher I know that other children her age would have screamed, cried, banged their feet and thrown a complete tantrum over something even smaller than that. And here was this girl, so polite, waiting to spin the wheel on her turn. Even to this day I still get upset over things I realize later shouldn’t have bothered me so, and I too could learn much from this little girl. She was my inspiration that day and I look forward to seeing her again in a week or so.
Filed under: Uncategorized
This might be the hardest volunteering I sign up for, helping out at an animal shelter. There is only one shelter in the Charleston area that doesn’t euthanize animals and that is where I will be helping out, at Pethelpers. Even though my own cat is from this shelter I had never been there myself (my cat was a gift) and I just wanted to adopt everything from the moment I walked in. I couldn’t even bring myself to go back in the dog area this first time as I have been having some serious puppy issues (as in, I REALLY want one) and I might have smuggled one out with the low self-control that I have in that area.
As all of the future volunteers sat in the orientation we were told how so many animals had to be turned away from Pethelpers due to limited space, these unfortunate animals are then brought to the other shelters who can only hold them for a short while before they are euthanized. Millions of animals each year are put down for the simple lack of homes available to house them all. Another problem that is quite serious in Charleston is the large feral cat population that breeds endlessly, there is even an organization that traps, fixes and releases these animals so there aren’t hundreds of cats running around without a “furever” home.
Although I respect people who buy animals from breeders I simply cannot do something like that myself knowing how many animals in need there are, not just in Charleston, but around the country. So many beautiful, kind, sweet, loving animals that need a home more desperately than any professional bred dog or cat ever could. In fact many of the strays or owner surrenders that wind up in the shelter were bought from a breeder. If you cannot take an animal into your home please donate some money to this shelter or a similar one near you and save the life of an animal in need.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: ReStore, sales floor, spring cleaning, volunteer
I admit, I am not the cleanest person nor do I truly enjoy cleaning; what I do love to do is organize. Sit me down with a stack of cards and I will alphabetize like someone is giving me a prize afterward. When I went to go help out again at the ReStore I was assigned to this older woman whose job it is to sort out and price nearly everything that comes into the store. Walking into her “office” it was apparent that nobody had been around to help this woman in quite a while. Trinkets, electronics and gadgets lined the walls and floor, some of them collecting dust. Of course, the longer they sat in the office the less money the organization was making, so I readily offered to help her sort through and move items out onto the sales floor.
Two and a half hours flew by, there wasn’t a moment’s pause and by the time I left she was thanking me profusely. There was a smile on her face for the first time since I had walked in that morning and her hacking cough had subsided. I love that I can just walk into the store, be put to work and feel like I am really making a difference. The lamp that I set out onto the table is quickly snatched up and purchased, another handful of dollars is added to the coffer and a door, wall or window can be purchased for a new home. Although it isn’t very exciting and usually a bit dirty, I love volunteering for the ReStore.
365daystogive's Blog 