A Break From The Heat

I had to get a picture of the super high schoolers who volunteered today. Besides being big helps, they are nice and a lot of fun to be around. Thank you Nicholas, Sam, Eleanor, Micah, Ava and Sierra!

In the winter, The Wednesday Community Meal serves as a place for the homeless to escape from cold temperatures and warm up.

Today, the opposite was true. Guests enjoyed the food, but they also appreciated the break from the heat and the opportunity to cool off in our large dining room at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

Midway through today's service, a clean-cut female guest,  who looked to be about the same age as myself, came up to the kitchen window to say thank you for the food and hospitality. She told me that she's been homeless for a little over a year and just found out about the meal.

"I am so grateful that you do this," she said.

Volunteering at the weekly free meal and getting to know the guests has taught me not to take for granted the simple comforts in my life.

Having a home, food in the cupboard and a soft bed are blessings that I don't deserve any more than the next person. I don't know why I have them and others don't. Life is uncertain.

This is what I do know: Appreciating life's blessings, no matter how small, and doing my best to help others deeply enriches my life.

We served 245 meals today in addition to lots and lots of cups of cold lemonade.