For many years my sons and I delivered Meals on Wheels. We received a list of folks, picked up the meals, and I drove. I always went with my children when they were little and I loved seeing the smiles as they saw children coming in their door with their meals.
Along the way we met some absolutely lovely folks. They simply beamed because they not only got to see other people - but actual children.
We had one person yell and swear at us when we wished him a good day. It offered us good conversations about why that person might have acted that way. My children didn't go back to that door for some time.
One visit was memorable. We were instructed to ring the bell after leaving the meal in the cooler outside the door. As the children were a bit older now they did this on their own. One day my oldest came back to the car and said the meal from the previous day was still in the cooler so we made calls and, sure enough, the lady had fallen. My son's concern saved her life and he was featured in a newspaper article.
We also took various seniors grocery shopping once a week. They always treated it as high adventure!
My children learned a lot about the circle of life volunteering. I wish more families would find the time to volunteer in some way in their community. It would teach compassion and understanding to old and young alike - and maybe even save a life or two!
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