A heartfelt Valentine's Day

Some of you may have received my email invitation to come volunteer for a BBQ on Valentine's Day. This wasn't your average, run of the mill BBQ, it was a BBQ for the homeless that have set up a tent city in Ontario off of San Antonio and D Street just south of I-10. 

I felt really strongly that I wanted my children to see this and be a part of this effort. I wanted them to see how the other side lives. My pampered children have no comprehension of poverty. Their idea of poverty is when we can't afford to fix the Wii and they have to go without. They don't know what squalor and despair look like. They've never seen hunger, mental illness, and deprivation.

We got there a little late. Before heading over there, I looked around at a store for some beanie hats to donate but was unable to find any. By the time we got there, there wasn't all that much for my kids to do. Bekkah quickly got into the spirit of things. She talked to this one homeless woman. We had some drinks in the back of our car and she gave them away. She even gave her own coat away. Steven on the other hand was at a loss; he was dumbfounded, uncomfortable, and out of his element. Out of desperation and a desire for him to be of service, I told him to take some waters and offer them to the BBQ attendees. So, Steven walked around passing out bottled water. I kept my eye on him, never once did he leave my sight.

We may have stayed for 45 minutes. We had another appointment to go to. But, I am happy that we were able to go for a little bit and participate. In the future, we will attend and participate more actively. But, this was a good start.

Michelle, thank you for letting me know about this opportunity for service. I feel truly enriched because my children were able to experience that Christ-like love that comes from serving our fellow man. 

*Please note: We didn't take any pictures. We felt it would be too intrusive and would violate the spirit of the event. I had my camera out and was tempted, but thought better of it!