Giving of yourself to help others.

Growing up in the Minneapolis Metropolitan Area I have been exposed to the work of the Salvation Armory and the numerous non-profits that do a great deal to help those in need this time of year. Many times I have thought, I should volunteer and give some of my time to those in greatest need. As many Americans do, I found many excuses on why I couldn't this time around. A couple of weeks back while sitting in church the opportunity presented itself again. By I let it slip by... For some reason it nagged at me this time, so I decided to take action. I volunteered myself and my daughter to help at a place they call Banquet in Sioux Falls. We showed up on a Saturday morning and immediately we were put to work in the kitchen. It felt good! I can't explain how or why, but it felt good. When lunch was finally served my daughter and I were charged with handing out tokens to all guests entering the facility. Most people were appreciative, some said nothing at all, one man caught me off guard. He took the token from my hand and said, "Thank you for being here for us". Wow!!! That was powerful. That was why I was here, to help those people that have nowhere else to go. This is what the holiday season is about, giving of yourself to help others.