Since the day I met him, he has always volunteered his time to someone or some organization.
For the last 5-6 years, he has been the volunteer coordinator for Kentucky Harvest, a very small non profit who's mission is to take the 'wasted' food from grocery stores and restaurants and give it to the homeless. So much good food is wasted and so many are hungry.
In the last year, I have taken over his Thursday morning pick up at Kroger.
In the last year, I have taken over his Thursday morning pick up at Kroger.
Not gonna lie, I didn't start doing it with a generous, open heart.
When more responsibility came to my husband's job and he was finding it hard to make his volunteering work in the middle of the week- I stepped in because I had to. And the first few weeks I made the pick up, I complained. I complained because Kroger is on one side of the city and the Salvation Army is on the total opposite side. It takes over an hour to make this excursion happen. A WHOLE HOUR!
But lo and behold, as I continued to make this a part of my weekly routine, it became something I actually looked forward to. And now- it is my daughter and I's time to give back in a way that feels natural and good and inspiring.
But lo and behold, as I continued to make this a part of my weekly routine, it became something I actually looked forward to. And now- it is my daughter and I's time to give back in a way that feels natural and good and inspiring.
I say inspiring because there is a woman I have met through this opportunity that inspires me every single time I pull up to the donation dock and see her smiling face and head of curly, white hair. Her name is Grace and she works at the Salvation Army.
When I first started showing up, she just knew me as "Matt's wife". She loves my husband and I know she missed him at first. But gradually, she took to me and I to her. Each time I walk in to find her- she is always knee deep in work. But lifts her head up with a great big grin, stops what she is doing and helps me load the food into the bins. She always has a story, always tells me how cute my daughter is, gives me advice on having two children, and always always expresses how much they appreciate and need the food I have brought.
A couple weeks ago, I asked her how many children she had. She told me she had four children, but two died young from drugs. As she told me this, I felt this overwhelming sense of connection to her- a raw connection that casts away the difference in our skin color, our age, our backgrounds, our religion. We were just empathetic humans.
It is embarrassing to admit that I once dreaded this incredible opportunity. But it's crucial to the whole experience because it is a reminder that when things make us uncomfortable or we feel dread towards something- often times, those experiences teach us great lessons in the end. It is truly important to wade through the feelings of uncomfort or fear sometimes- it could change your life. It could provide you with necessary answers or inspiration. It could be just what you need.
Grace, who spends her days showing GRACE to others, without needing anything in return, has certainly been just what I need.
Blooming today because:
*t-minus 14 days to due date
*quality family time this weekend!
*i got a massage tonight!
