Moments I Wish I Could Bottle Up and Save

There are moments in life when you get way more out of an event than you could ever have hoped for or imagined. 

My teenaged granddaughter Tayler was feeling that 2 dozen pairs of jeans, an iPhone and her own personal laptop that only she uses in her bedroom that she shares with no one simply was not enough, along with her biweekly manicures. She felt she should have ‘more’. 

A suggestion was made that she spend a day in a soup kitchen. Spend a day of service to others who have none of what she possesses and in order to survive have to rely on the kindness and humanity of others for just one meal. 

Her reaction to that was simply one of a whining, “I don’t wanna”, which she repeated in a seemingly endless pout over 2 weeks.

The arrangements were made, and Tayler along with two of her cousins spent a day in a Camden kitchen serving to the clients who have need of a meal but no means to provide for themselves.

The kids helped from setup to cleanup. They were instructed on security and how to serve the clients;  limiting portions and no second servings. This was one of the initial eye openers for the kids. They live in a world where not being allowed to have seconds let alone ask for them simply does not exist. Another thing that struck close to just how serious the hunger problem is in this country was that the meals were served in 2 shifts of 40 plus people, if the food lasted for both shifts. 

Moment number one: In between the first and second shift Tayler went to her Mom and said, “ I just have to tell you, Mom, I get it, I really get it.”

Moment number two: The second shift starts and while serving salad, a gentleman asks Tayler her name and how old she is. She tells him and he asks why she is there serving meals. “I needed a life lesson”, she says. He nods and says, “Well, you appreciate everything you have, it could be gone the next day. God Bless you.”

Moment number three: After cleanup the manager running the foodservice asks the kids how the day went for them. Tayler tells him she’d like to come back and do it again.

Moment number four: She came barreling through the front door at the end of her long day of service to others and shouted, “I FRIGGIN’ LOVED it! I can’t wait to do it again!”

In the last 24 hours she hasn’t stopped talking about her day and the different types and ages of the people she met and served yesterday.

I friggin LOVE her!