With so much excellent help, and everything in place for the shoe drive in record time, we took a few minutes to take a tour of the youth center, talk to the director and to some of the volunteers, and learn a little about what they do there. And let me tell you... what they do there is great!
They give the community, especially the kids, a place to go where they can create opportunity for themselves. To me, one of the coolest things they do there is art. I grew up learning that art touches every part of society, and every part of life - through the radio, architecture, storefronts, photography, magazines, newspapers, television... EVERYwhere. Art is ingrained in us. So to see a place where kids can learn that, and express themselves, was a huge thing for me. I especially loved one project in particular that had been done. They'd used ceiling tiles as canvases, and so there was art above us. LOVE that idea!
That weird feeling that I had coming into Saturday kept going strong while we were at the shoe drive. I met a woman there who was volunteering who seemed particularly familiar. Turned out she was from a neighboring town, and had worked in Springfield for years before retirement. We even knew people in common. And being inside the youth center, meeting and talking with the volunteers and staff, I had that weird feeling that I belonged there. I was very much at ease there all day.
The families we met during the event were simply fantastic. The kids were all fun and full of energy and life, and the parents were some of the friendliest, most genuine people you could hope to talk to. One family, in particular, made a special impression on me. They are a blended family, with 10 kids. The mom works part time, takes classes, and manages that household. (And I think it's rough sometimes with just the 5 of us!) They, like all the families we met, were a joy to share time with.
At home, at too many of the charitable events I've been at, people are not grateful. In fact, all too often, those receiving help don't just not say "thanks", they sometimes say they are entitled to more, or that what they are receiving is not "good enough" (as in hamburger isn't as "good" as steak). It wasn't like that at this event. Every family, every adult, every child was grateful and appreciative. One grandmother talked to us about how her grandson had gone through "another" recent growth spurt, and didn't currently have any shoes that fit. It made me think of the weekend a couple of years ago when Jack grew seemingly overnight... He came to me on a Monday morning, as he was getting ready for school, and was very concerned about his pants and shoes. I couldn't do anything but gape in amazement at him. His new pants were suddenly two inches too short, and he couldn't even get his foot into his shoe! At the time, our budget was extremely tight, and I remember standing there, wondering how I was ever going to juggle things to buy new clothes. I knew exactly what the grandmother was talking about, and it broke my heart to hear her talk about struggling. I think she said "thank you" at least 30 times. Naturally, being in middle of my peri-menopausal hormonal mess, I cried.
I cried lots of times that day. I suppose I cried because it was all just overwhelming for me at the moment. I really had no business driving half way across the United States, even if it was for a good cause. My house needed a roof, my kids were about to start a new school year, my husband needed a new car, just to name a few of the reasons. But there I was, 100% confident that I belonged there, and 100% confident that everything would be OK, and that God would provide for us exactly as we need. And He has. My house still needs a roof. And the Handsome Husband still needs a car. But the kids got back to school with everything they needed plus some, we've taken care of several other unexpected "emergencies", and we're doing OK.
I also cried that day because I was so very, very grateful to be able to help people who truly needed it.
The day wasn't all seriousness and emotional breakdowns, though. It was alot of fun, too. The girls had a great time hanging out together, and a great time working with the young children that came in.
And at the end of the shoe drive, one of the student volunteers at the center gave us each either a streak of color in our hair, or a painted faux feather in our hair. It was a blast!
I think meeting the student volunteers hit a soft spot in my heart. I remember way back when, there was a time when I was much less reserved, and much more free-spirited, and would have signed up in a heartbeat to do what those kids were doing. I remember having a royal blue wash over my dark hair, and putting together some crazy outfits - all in the name of creative expression.
Then I "grew up".
Or did I really just "give up"? I read a post earlier this week about conformity versus conviction. It struck that same nerve... Tugged at that same spot in my heart... Made me stop and think. I think all too often, we equate "growing up" with conforming. We leave the comfort of high school or college, get a "real" job, and suddenly we become zombies in khaki pants, leaving our "wild ideas" of youth behind for the perceived security a new found conformity will bring to our future. Or we make new friends. and in our effort to fit in, we discount the importance of our convictions and go along with the crowd, thinking folks will be more likely to like us if we are more like them.
Phooey. I've been doing all that conforming stuff for a long, long time, and (thankfully!) I'm realizing that it's not really helping me out so much. So I'm going to make a concerted effort to stop conforming for the sake of, well... for the sake of blending in, I guess. A new, more expressive, true to her convictions, Mary is coming BACK around.
I guess maybe the North Dakota trip was the beginning of that. Like I've said, I really had no business going, if you look at it from the conservative, conforming vantage point. But look at it from another viewpoint, and it looks quite different. It looks like the action of someone with great faith, who knew that if she did what she felt was the right thing - the sort of thing that God was leading her to do so that she could learn and grow - that everything would fall into place. And, indeed, it is doing just that.
Even during the last day of that trip, I had more reminders that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Twice more as we drove across South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois, I met individuals whom I am certain I've met before, though rationally I know that's not probable. And the feeling of familiarity stayed with me. Every stop we made, every road we travelled along, every sight I saw, felt "right", and felt reassuring. It's the weirdest thing, and I know I can't fully explain it. All I can say about it is that I was comforted and energized by those signs of reassurance that were placed along the way.
And that brings me to the close of that story. I have a feeling, though, that it's really just the prelude to a much longer, terrifically epic story in my life. I can't wait to find out about that one! :)
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