Last Friday....

Fridays are always busy for me, and this one was no different. After a day filled with  meetings at work, I picked up the son from his daycare, and waited for the husband to arrive home before leaving to pick up the daughter from her preschool.

She was playing outside with her friends, with leaves and twigs. Play and friends - the two most important things for a preschooler. So inspite of being late, I did not rush her. When she was done, she happily came to me and hopped in to the car seat. Much better than trying to pull her out of her play and dealing with a tantrum during the drive :).

We reached the church in about 15 minutes....and were greeted to some Mozart playing in the background. We quickly found our friends, and the daughter got into action.

We were there to feed the homeless - a social event held by the church every second Friday of the month. There were all kinds of people - young, old, children, disabled, poor, sick. Pizzas and treats were already served, so we started helping out with grocery distribution. The daughter and I were giving away Cereal boxes, and since we had limited supply, we were only allowed to distribute one per person.

It seemed like Cereal, among other things like cookies, pasta sauce, etc. was the hot item that day. I think Cereal has become such a versatile staple.....you can't do without it. Its easy, can be consumed with or without milk, and does not go bad for months. I do not bring any kind of cereal to our house, because they are all heavily processed, and laden with sugar as well as salt. But even with the homeless, I was happy to see many people checking out the label on the boxes, and many asking me which one was the healthiest. The Kashi blueberry granola clusters was the most healthiest option, and we ran out of it quickly.

The daughter also got to interact with a little girl, almost her age. It was all new for her, but she had blended in seamlessly, and was not bothered at all to be in a room full of strangers, and strange-looking people. My friend A and I were amazed.

Since we reached a little late, we were only there for about 90 minutes. The daughter helped cleaned up (the only thing left on the grocery table was cookies) and as we headed out, I realized that someone was actually playing all the beautiful tunes behind the piano. The music kept the whole atmosphere so lively, and gave a whole new feel to the place. So thankful for this person to be volunteering that day!

I was most interested in the daughter's questions that would follow post this experience. She asked me why these people did not have homes, or money to buy food. Where they lived? What they did? Whether the kids went to school, or to swimming classes, or Taekwondo?

When a friend of ours visited us over the weekend, I had her describe our experience to him, and her answers amazed me. She UNDERSTOOD. It was a profound as well as proud moment for me!

The daughter was a very fussy eater as an infant and toddler, but she has made a complete U-turn. From never wanting to eat....even with videos shown to her, she eats everything that's offered to her. She insists on NO TV during her meals, and she understands why it is important to not leave leftovers on the plate. I only hope this positive trend continues......forever :D!

It was a Friday evening....very well spent!!!

{I did not feel appropriate to take pictures, and I think I made the right call.}