I know I am a very fortunate person. I have had a very stable childhood and life thus far, and I have had experiences that I know I am very lucky to have had. I attended a 4 year college and then attended a 2 year masters program, I have gone on vacations to many wonderful places, and I never had to question where my next meal was coming from, or if I was even going to have food for my next meal. In the back of my mind I’ve always known how fortunate I am, but on Monday I was reminded of that.
Since my dad retired last November, he volunteers at many different food pantries and churches that prepare food packages for people who need it. Since I was off on Monday I decided to go with him to volunteer. When I was there I would prepare the food packages and the toiletry packages for the families and help them load it into their car when they came for a pickup. Sometimes families would come in with five to six people in their family, and get a box of mashed potatoes, veggies, fruit, canned items and a few other things; and this would have to last them for five weeks!! I am a part of a family of three people, and there are times that that amount of food would only last us one to two weeks.
Seeing this really got me thinking of how lucky I am to have what I have. I never had to make sure I had enough food for the week, let alone for over a month. To hear some of these people's stories, and the other things that they are going through really broke my heart. They all left there with a smile on their faces, probably not remembering me or my time volunteering there. But I will remember them and the impact that they made on me. That night I made sure to count my blessings a little harder than normal. I made sure to really taste what I was eating for dinner, hug my parents a little tighter, and just give thanks for what I have and all that I am able to do. Like we talked about when we were making the bags, you never know when you’re life will change and you might find yourself experiencing something you never thought you would.
