Over the weekend, I volunteered at the El Caldito soup kitchen. I hadn't eaten breakfast that morning, partly out of forgetfulness and partly to remind myself of how fortunate I am to be provided with staples of life that often get taken for granted. I spent the first two hours chatting with the other volunteers and having a fun time as we assembled over 135 sacked lunches. Then they opened the doors, and the hungry people walked in to get their meal and eat it on the building's sunny steps. Secretly, I grumbled over my own hungry stomach. I heard many greetings and thankful remarks from the people, but what touched me the most was when a little girl, maybe nine years old, walked in and took the bagged lunch we handed to her. "Thank you!" She said, and then she gave us the biggest, sweetest, most sincere smile I have ever seen. The smile was so full of joy, hope, and thankfulness. I started to cry. My stomach's needs were quickly forgotten. I knew that there was nowhere else I would rather be on a Saturday morning than right there, doing God's work and seeing the brilliant smile on a little girl's face.
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