Taking the time to look…
Today was easily the most beautiful day of my life. This morning, Marc and I took 1/3 of the kids to volunteer at Noah’s Kitchen, while others visited two other organizations serving Houston’s homeless. The experience left me speechless (although, I’m trying to put it into words here), inspired and with a renewed perspective on the “important” things.
Noah’s Kitchen was started this year through the incredible dedication, selflessness and passion of Amber Rodriguez and her son, Noah. Volunteers meet every other Sunday to pack a simple meal of water, sandwich, bagel, banana and water and deliver 200+ meals to men, women and kids living on the street. The kids were critically impacted by the sheer number of people living on the streets in Houston, and we only saw a small piece of this giant issue. We were moved by the people’s stories, as we handed them their sack lunch. At James Bute Park, a mom and her two toddler boys told us that they’d been on the streets for two weeks because she’d made one mistake and lost her job. Under an overpass, a 19 year-old boy told two of our teens that his mom kicked him out two years ago. And the stories go on. After each stop, the kids returned to the van visibly affected, and some even in tears — and for different reasons; one because she could see herself in the 19 year-old boy, another because she realized that no matter how bad her life seemed, someone else’s was worse, and another because he hurt to see other human beings in such dire straights.
I have never been more proud of a group of kids (or adults, for that matter) than today, as I witnessed the UniversalTeens (whose lives sometimes really, really suck) gain an understanding of the power of giving back–and not just with food to fill an empty belly, but also by treating others with the simple kindness of shared humanity. And it wasn’t just the Noah’s Kitchen group that walked away feeling fuller, brighter and empowered…it was all of us who aew participating in this amazing program.
There’s simply no way to capture the emotion of today. All I can say is, thank you to all of the kids, and Amber Rodriguez, for inspiring me, educating me and allowing me to be a part of your life for a moment in time. I hope to one day have the inner strength and beauty that you all have shown me today.