Its The Little Things in Life

“Its the little things in life”, a saying that I have heard countless times throughout my life, but it wasn’t until the fall of 2012 until I learned how accurate this saying really was.  In the fall of 2012 I volunteered at Haven from Hunger, a homeless shelter located in Lynn, MA. A group of families from my community decided that it would be nice if we all spent a few hours working at the shelter. Although I was excited, I did not know what to expect from the shelter.

We arrived at Haven from Hunger at around 4 pm. When I first walked in, the shelter was nothing like I had imagined. It was very small and cluttered. Cardboard boxes, tables, chairs, soda bottles, and plastic and paper bags took over the entire shelter. It was not very clean. It was apparent that it was very unorganized and lacked strong leadership. A woman greeted our group of about 20 people and gave us our task for the night. We were supposed to make, set up, serve, and clean up dinner. It was going to be a busy and overwhelming night.

Before I knew it, dozens of homeless people living in and around Lynn began piling into the shelter. When they saw all of us kids, their frowns turned into smiles, and their faces lit up. They could not wait to talk to us, and thank us for helping them. In the moment, I did not understand how volunteering for a few hours could make someone so happy.

I specifically remember a group of four or five women who were sitting together that night. I had a few short conversations with these women about my hobbies and what sports a played. They were so intrigued and eager to learn more about who I am. Speaking to them truly warmed my heart. Even today I can still picture those women and how genuinely delighted, grateful, and excited they were because we were there helping them.

It really is just the little things in life that can have such an incredible and strong impact.