This is Just the Beginning
| By Sabrina - Mar 6, 2009 8:48:44 PM ET |
So I left my last post half-finished, but the train of thought that I was on that day left this station and refuses to come back. Today was a completely different experience. We didn't do any projects like the ones we've been doing all week (primarily because we were all done with them) and instead participated in 2-1-1 On the Go, looking for businesses that were willing to hire homeless people looking for jobs so they can get back on the path to being independent and stable.
Everything in these last two days has been extremely emotional for me. I don't know how many moments I had that I could literally feel the swelling of emotion inside of me and felt the tears coming on. It happened Thursday morning when Kira gave our team a pep talk about the importance of the work we'd been doing..it happened again when Elizabeth, a resident of Lighthouse Path shared her story with us. It hit home in a very sensitive spot, and that was when I understood the significance of what I'd done, because I know what it's like to be in a position where you feel so incredibly helpless and alone, and when you're fortunate enough to receive a personal, sensitive response... it makes all the difference in the world.
Speaking of making a difference, now that ASB is coming to a close (as the old saying goes...all good things must come to an end), I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity and resources to be able to have participated in something like this. Coming into this event, I had that inkling of a feeling that you get when you know that what you're doing is not only going to change someone else's life, it's going to impact yours even more. I can honestly say that it has. Although I signed up with oodles of enthusiasm back in December, the week before ASB was exceptionally discouraging and killed much of the motivation I had for coming...at one point, I even contemplated not coming and just staying at home for a week. I am SO glad that I didn't do that! I've met so many amazing, inspiring, and genuine people here this week that I hope I will be able to keep in touch with (and by keeping in touch I mean more than adding them as a friend on facebook).
We can never be reminded too many times of the importance of helping others and all the lessons that entail. To help those who cannot help themselves and to give a voice to those who have lost their own can never be emphasized enough, because things can change in the blink of an eye. It could just as easily be you or me on the other side of that soup kitchen line or sleeping on that park bench, and I know I wouldn't want to be forgotten in that situation. It comes down the golden rule that we all learned in elementary school: treat others the way that you want to be treated. Having been engaged in volunteer projects and team-building activities all week leads to my conclusion that alone we can accomplish a good amount, but together we can accomplish even more. There will always be hungry mouths to feed, sick people to heal, and broken souls to mend. There is always, ALWAYS more that needs to be done...never stop giving.
Everything in these last two days has been extremely emotional for me. I don't know how many moments I had that I could literally feel the swelling of emotion inside of me and felt the tears coming on. It happened Thursday morning when Kira gave our team a pep talk about the importance of the work we'd been doing..it happened again when Elizabeth, a resident of Lighthouse Path shared her story with us. It hit home in a very sensitive spot, and that was when I understood the significance of what I'd done, because I know what it's like to be in a position where you feel so incredibly helpless and alone, and when you're fortunate enough to receive a personal, sensitive response... it makes all the difference in the world.
Speaking of making a difference, now that ASB is coming to a close (as the old saying goes...all good things must come to an end), I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity and resources to be able to have participated in something like this. Coming into this event, I had that inkling of a feeling that you get when you know that what you're doing is not only going to change someone else's life, it's going to impact yours even more. I can honestly say that it has. Although I signed up with oodles of enthusiasm back in December, the week before ASB was exceptionally discouraging and killed much of the motivation I had for coming...at one point, I even contemplated not coming and just staying at home for a week. I am SO glad that I didn't do that! I've met so many amazing, inspiring, and genuine people here this week that I hope I will be able to keep in touch with (and by keeping in touch I mean more than adding them as a friend on facebook).
We can never be reminded too many times of the importance of helping others and all the lessons that entail. To help those who cannot help themselves and to give a voice to those who have lost their own can never be emphasized enough, because things can change in the blink of an eye. It could just as easily be you or me on the other side of that soup kitchen line or sleeping on that park bench, and I know I wouldn't want to be forgotten in that situation. It comes down the golden rule that we all learned in elementary school: treat others the way that you want to be treated. Having been engaged in volunteer projects and team-building activities all week leads to my conclusion that alone we can accomplish a good amount, but together we can accomplish even more. There will always be hungry mouths to feed, sick people to heal, and broken souls to mend. There is always, ALWAYS more that needs to be done...never stop giving.
Comments are closed for this post.