Small ways to serve

I felt a little nervous leaving Ella and Kate tonight, as Chris and I drove off to volunteer at the YWCA's Family Shelter. Chris has been planning it for a few months, and he invited several of his clients to join us. We took a tour of the shelter a few months ago and were so impressed by it.

It's a shelter -- so the families who are there are definitely down on their luck -- but it's about as 'happy' a place as it can be. Every family has their own room with a door and beds and clean sheets. They have a small library with books, a lovely outdoor garden where the kids can grow their own food and a fantastic playground.

They ask businesses, churches, community groups and regular, ol', every day people in the community to 'sponsor' dinners, and that's how they feed the families in the shelter, 365 days a year.

It's a really great service opportunity. You can bring your own food if you want (they tell you how much to bring); or you can take the easy way out like we did, and just give them the money to purchase the food; then bring friends to volunteer to serve it to the families.

I'm always hesitant to leave the girls. I always feel guilty, seeing Ella's tearful face as we leave. But after all Ella's been through this week, I felt particularly hesitant and a little nervous to leave her. But, I reasoned....we've been so blessed this week. So very blessed, to receive such happy news so far, from her doctors. I can't respond to such blessings by insulating myself in my house. I really needed to feel like I was doing something good, contributing something positive to the world, in gratitude for all of our blessings...especially those we've received this past week.

Serving dinner at the Family Center is a small way to serve. It only requires a few hours of our time, the work is really easy and it goes so fast, especially doing it with friends. It's a little sad; and I always catch myself wanting to bring some of the kids home to our house, especially the babies. But it's mostly happy, because in the end, it's a really good thing...that families in our communities have such a nice, clean, safe place to stay when they're down on their luck.

When we pulled back in the driveway, Ella and Kate were in their jammies, playing outside with their Nana. They ran to greet us, both wanting me to pick them up at the same time, smiling ear to ear. We came in the house and played hide and seek. This consisted first of me counting to 10, Ella running around in circles and then standing before me and saying "boo!" when I reached 10. Then it consisted of her laughing hysterically as she found her daddy hiding in the most conspicuous places.

The girls ate rice for dinner. With their fingers. And Kate threw most of hers on the floor. And I'm pretty sure it's still laying there.

I fed them chocolate chips from the bag, one at a time....kind of like giving treats to puppies. I gave Kate her bottle while I rocked her, and she then I laid her down awake in her crib, hugging her gray stuffed hippo. Daddy put Ella to bed shortly thereafter, again in her big girl bed. More sweet and simple moments with these darling little girls.

So it turns out that it was OK that I left to take part in this small act of service. Even as I sit here typing about it, I have a nagging desire to do it again, soon. It's good to be reminded that everyone has hard times, and that all we can really do is try to find small ways to serve each other, to make the hard times a little better.