Service with a Smile

I know it's been a while since my last adventure, but it's not that I haven't been busy. I just don't have thumbs, so sometimes it's hard for me to find the time to sit down and actually WRITE about what I've been doing.
I celebrated my first Valentine's day a few weeks ago. (I may have been a Valentine's Day gift myself once. I don't actually remember. That was during the "Dark Times.") It was fun. I ate so much chocolate! I got a little sick afterwards, but it was totally worth it. I regret nothing. And I also got some pretty cool new roommates who I'll tell you about later in another blog post.

Pre-Preview Day Pic! We look good!

Today is really the adventure I wanted to talk about, though.

Katie woke up early, and I was confused, because I thought we got to sleep extra late on Saturdays. But Katie said no, that we had lots of things to do today and that I had to wear my JSU shirt to do them. I was a little grumpy, but I changed shirts anyway. Katie said she had to go to Preview Day, and she wanted me to look all school spirit-y because there would be lots of future students on campus. (It was her job to convince them to join the Honors Program. I hope those kids aren't afraid of her bubbliness. It's my favorite thing about her, but some people think it's a little much for 9 o'clock in the morning. It's okay. If she can deal with all of my quirks, I can deal with hers, too. Because that's what best friends do.) I didn't get to go to Preview Day because Katie had to be "professional," so I waited impatiently for her to get back.

I didn't have to wait too long, though. (Side note: You'd think I'd be used to waiting, but I'm not. I don't like it. It makes me feel anxious. I think I have abandonment issues. But it's okay. Katie and her friends always come back to me, no matter how long they're gone. I think I'm starting to accept that they really do love me and that they're going to be around for a long, long time. Sometimes it's hard, though.) When Katie got back she said it was time to go to church, and, again, I was confused. Thankfully, she explained that the Methodist church in Jacksonville hosts something called the Serving Table once a month. They cook yummy, homemade meals for people who can't always eat every day, and they get to eat it for free. Katie explained that some people don't have jobs, or maybe they have a lot of doctor bills, or maybe they're old or sick, and that makes it hard to go out and buy food or to even afford food to buy. A guaranteed meal, even if it's only once a month, takes a lot of worry off of their minds. After I heard that, I was really excited to help. Katie even said that some of our other friends might be there!

Eating the best lunch ever courtesy of Ms. Mandee!

The Serving Table ended up being really fun! There were a lot of people who came to eat and help. They said we served over 100 meals! That's a lot of food! I was a little sad that there are so many people in Jacksonville who need help getting food, but Katie reminded me that that was why we were there: to help them. And everyone was so nice. They weren't mad or sad that they had to come to a church to eat; they were just happy to be alive! There were little kids and big kids and old men and young men and everyone in-between. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside that I got to be part of their days!
Katie was right that some of our other friends would be there. I got to see Curly-Haired Boy, and I made some new friends, too! A lot of them were in the Honors Program with Katie, but I also made friends with some of the grown ups from Katie's church. (Katie says that I'm kind of a celebrity now!)

Dessert was my favorite part!

This may not have been my biggest or most extravagant adventure so far, but it was definitely the most rewarding. I feel like sometimes people complain without thinking about how much worse it could be. It's important to see that some people are positive and upbeat even though they're not where they want to be in life. It "puts things in perspective," as Katie told me. These were so grateful that a bunch of college kids and a bear came out to serve them lunch, but I was grateful to have met them. All we did was put food on their plates; they put a smile in my heart.

~Trash Bear (and Katie)~