Thanksgiving...
Hey, hope everyones holiday was what they had hoped for...Let me tell you about what I did today...Just venting and thinkin aloud...
This morning I volunteered at a church on the Southside of Chicago. First, I went to a church in the community to get 250 Thanksgiving meals made, and then to have them delivered to an elderly complex about a mile away...
There were alot of people helping out at the church...This is all the work of one of my bosses, who I get along with extremely well...I did it a couple years ago and had a blast. They had some news reportes interview me and then it was broadcasted on the local Chicago news that evening...Very embarrassing to say the least...It was a great experience. Last year I missed out on it because I was recovering from my most recent MI...So, this year I was all game for it...
Once the meals were completed, we all loaded up our vehicles and delivered them ourselves to everyone in the high rise...It felt great and was a very humbling experience as well...As we were getting ready to leave, I was told there were some left over dinners...I told them I would take three of them with me to drop them off to some of the less fortunate I encounter on the way home...
As I exit the highway, I encounter one immediately, I open my window and ask for the middle aged lady to swing by my vehicle...She gladly obliges and she makes off with a meal that was still warm and with all the fixins...
The next immediate light I encounter another individual...I stop my vehicle, call him over and hand another dinner out the window...He was very thankful...I felt great...Now I had one left and I was purposely holding onto this one..
There is another less fortunate older gentleman almost always at a bus stop a few miles from my residence...Middle aged white male, jacket after jacket on his body, and with bags all around him... I have previously attempted to give him money, but he always turns down my offer... So, this time I'm hoping he'll take the dinner from me, if i can locate him that is...I mean he's not always out there, but I have seen him quite often over the last 2-3yrs.
As I'm driving along and wa-la, he is on the opposite side of the street...I make a u-turn, park my vehicle along the street, hit the hazard lights and hop out. I approach him and can see the reserve in his face...I tell him that I was at a shelter earlier in the day and we had some extra food and I figured he could use a warm Thanksgiving dinner...He smiles and says, yes!!! I was overwhelmed with a feeling I cannot describe...I kept thinking that if I were taken from this life of mine tomorrow that I would have a sense of doing something positive. I was taken over with emotion...
See, a year ago, yesterday, was the last time I seen my grandfather alive...He passed away the day after christmas last year...He was my bestfriend and I miss him dearly...He lived out of state with the rest of the family...
So, as I drove off, an emotional wreck, I kept wishing that I could pick up the phone and tell my "gramps" what I had done...I felt great about seeing this gentleman and being able to give him the dinner. but at the same time so, so, sad that I couldn't speak to my grandfather...I just wanted to hear my grandfathers voice and hear something positive. I then proceeded to return home and have an awesome dinner with my loved ones. So, needless to say it was an emotional day...
That's all, I thought I would give this journal thing a try...Hope everyones day was blessed...Thanks and G-d bless you all...
This morning I volunteered at a church on the Southside of Chicago. First, I went to a church in the community to get 250 Thanksgiving meals made, and then to have them delivered to an elderly complex about a mile away...
There were alot of people helping out at the church...This is all the work of one of my bosses, who I get along with extremely well...I did it a couple years ago and had a blast. They had some news reportes interview me and then it was broadcasted on the local Chicago news that evening...Very embarrassing to say the least...It was a great experience. Last year I missed out on it because I was recovering from my most recent MI...So, this year I was all game for it...
Once the meals were completed, we all loaded up our vehicles and delivered them ourselves to everyone in the high rise...It felt great and was a very humbling experience as well...As we were getting ready to leave, I was told there were some left over dinners...I told them I would take three of them with me to drop them off to some of the less fortunate I encounter on the way home...
As I exit the highway, I encounter one immediately, I open my window and ask for the middle aged lady to swing by my vehicle...She gladly obliges and she makes off with a meal that was still warm and with all the fixins...
The next immediate light I encounter another individual...I stop my vehicle, call him over and hand another dinner out the window...He was very thankful...I felt great...Now I had one left and I was purposely holding onto this one..
There is another less fortunate older gentleman almost always at a bus stop a few miles from my residence...Middle aged white male, jacket after jacket on his body, and with bags all around him... I have previously attempted to give him money, but he always turns down my offer... So, this time I'm hoping he'll take the dinner from me, if i can locate him that is...I mean he's not always out there, but I have seen him quite often over the last 2-3yrs.
As I'm driving along and wa-la, he is on the opposite side of the street...I make a u-turn, park my vehicle along the street, hit the hazard lights and hop out. I approach him and can see the reserve in his face...I tell him that I was at a shelter earlier in the day and we had some extra food and I figured he could use a warm Thanksgiving dinner...He smiles and says, yes!!! I was overwhelmed with a feeling I cannot describe...I kept thinking that if I were taken from this life of mine tomorrow that I would have a sense of doing something positive. I was taken over with emotion...
See, a year ago, yesterday, was the last time I seen my grandfather alive...He passed away the day after christmas last year...He was my bestfriend and I miss him dearly...He lived out of state with the rest of the family...
So, as I drove off, an emotional wreck, I kept wishing that I could pick up the phone and tell my "gramps" what I had done...I felt great about seeing this gentleman and being able to give him the dinner. but at the same time so, so, sad that I couldn't speak to my grandfather...I just wanted to hear my grandfathers voice and hear something positive. I then proceeded to return home and have an awesome dinner with my loved ones. So, needless to say it was an emotional day...
That's all, I thought I would give this journal thing a try...Hope everyones day was blessed...Thanks and G-d bless you all...
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