Vegetables Can Be Sentimental

                                     

The green beans were the clincher. As I stood in the church  kitchen pouring cans of the vegetables into aluminum trays, their subtle smell, dull green color and mushy texture transported me back to another time. I thought about the many occasions, while staying at the Ronald McDonald House last summer, that they had been prepared for me. During the 8 weeks I stayed there, every day a group would come in and lend their time and energy to cook a warm meal just for us. After a long hard day at the hospital, all we had to do was grab a plate and enjoy the fruits of their labors. I always felt so grateful to them and wondered how I could ever repay them and their smiling faces. When would I be able to help someone?

Flash forward to today and I'm at the Lutheran House of Prayer, helping my Youth Group to serve a "Manna" dinner to the needy people of West Aliquippa. No longer on the receiving end of the deal, I am finally prepping instead of eating, spooning veggies and plating brownie squares. A woman comes into the room to take our picture to hang on the wall with the photos of other volunteers who have in the past come to help. "Thank you all for coming." she says. I realize at this moment that here I am, doing my part to help. Now I know what it feels like to be the one serving instead of the one being served. Boy, what a good feeling it is. But part of the reason it feels so good is because I have felt both ways. I know how special one simple meal can be, and how it can mean so much to one who needs it. And I also know how doing your part to do something for someone else can be so fulfilling, gratifying, even liberating.

Although I had to leave early due to soccer practice, this experience at the Manna dinner was a very positive one for me, and I hope that my Youth Group will do more of these types of service projects in the future. I will leave with a quote from the acclaimed blockbuster film, "Les Miserables", which I think applies perfectly to this situation: "Remember the truth that once was spoken: To love another person is to see the face of God".

I agree: it seems like the best in us is brought out when we are all serving and looking out for one another. We get changed for the better, as I can attest: I'll never see people --nor green beans-- in the same way again.