Reflection

Over the course of the last few weeks I have been serving my church by doing some community service at the Watered Gardens Ministry. During this time I have done some soul searching, personal reflection of sorts. I have come to the realization that life is not as bad as what it seems.

As most of you know I have had a very bad year in terms of personal loss. Last semester I lost a dear friend and classmate and then this semester I lost my father. That in itself was a huge turn of events for me because I lost two people that I could always turn to for advice and support.

Now, as I was working at the ministry, I began to look at some of the people that were barely surviving. People that were, in many aspects, living in tents and only eating when the ministry was open. At this point, I became truly thankful for all the things that I have in life. I still have a wonderful mother, brother and sister-in-law, an awesome nephew and niece, and last but not certainly not least a wonderful son in Ethan.

Then as I was reflecting on how great I do have it, I began to wonder how society has simply forgotten some of these people. Now I'm not talking about people who are drug addicts and alcoholics, that in itself is a whole other discussion. I'm talking about the people who have tried to help themselves or that their mental disabilities are so severe that that they cannot help themselves. I know that around in this area the shelters are over crowded. I know that funding for these places are very limited as well. In fact most of them are funded by private donations and what not. I just wish that I could do more than just give my time.

After leaving Watered Gardens, I now have a new sense of myself. I feel that no matter how badly my day is going, that there are people out there who have it worse than I do. Also upon leaving, I felt a great sense of accomplishment for helping these people. I have also made a commitment to myself to continue to serve there as much as I possibly can.