L is for the Less Fortunate

Living in a dumpster, wearing your only pair of clothes, begging for money, this is how some people in this world live.

On Monday, April 26, I went to a church to help at a homeless dinner. It was by my dad's office in Kitchener. This was going to be the last homeless dinner until September/October. I was glad that I came to help.

The first thing we did when we got there was set up the beds. The beds were fold-up cots that had been stored on the stage of the church hall. We put on the plastic sheets, the bottom sheet, and then the blankets. After that we put on a pillow and folded the bed back up. Then someone came and took the bed and put it back on the stage for later. Now I know how to make my bed!

After all the beds were done we were assigned our jobs. My friends, my brother, and I were assigned to Fruit and milk duty. At this time we could see the people lining up at the door waiting to come in. Fruit duty was where we would ask each person that came in whether they wanted an apple or an orange, while my brother would ask each person whether they wanted a regular milk or a chocolate milk. I was in charge of the oranges. After our jobs were done we would go and serve food. We were ready for the people.

Time flew by while we waited for the people to be let in. Then the people were let in. The people were all different ages and sizes. Sadly some of the people had noticeable disabilities. Some of them were blindness, lower body problems, and mental problems. I feel very sorry for these people.

People came by taking a fruit and a milk. Oranges and chocolate milk were the most popular of the choices. My friend that was handing out the apples was complaining so we switched seats, making the apples the first fruit that the people saw when they came over. While my friend handing out the regular milk was really, really bored. The amount of people showing up was lessening by the minute, so was the stash of chocolate milk and oranges. Eventually we ran out of chocolate milk, so people could only have regular milk if they wanted any. Then the oranges were gone too. That's when I left to go serve food.

Serving food was fun. We had to serve food in a certain order down the table. We could take 2 plates at a time. I helped serve at my mom's table. I handed out food, then came back to the kitchen to get more food, then I repeated the cycle until my mom's table was done. After that I went to help my friend's mom serve food to her table. I was really enjoying myself.

I was on my second trip to her table when I ran into trouble. I was leaving the kitchen when I walked into a guy and he spilled his coffee on me. It was HOT! Luckily I saved the food from falling and I handed out the food I had. After that I went to the bathroom to put cold water on the burn. My clothes were brown from the coffee so my dad drove me home to change. That was the end to my day.

I am glad for being born into a fortunate family. I am glad that I have a home to return to every night, a school to go to every weekday, and food to eat when I'm hungry. I am very thankful that I am not the kid that I saw at the homeless dinner. He was a young boy that came with his mom and dad. I think I am lucky that I get to be taught every weekday by my friendly teachers. I think that anyone reading this should be thankful for what they have. So next time your dad grounds you from the television remember that these people probably don't have a television or even electricity. Thank you for reading this and remember about these people.

Life Lesson: Be thankful for what you have.

This week I commented on Hannah's Blog

R is for Rainy days

Rain, rain go away, come again another day. A saying that is said by young kids when it is raining outside. I think rainy days can be good. Good on days without homework and bad on days with homework.

On good rainy days I play video games and watch movies with my bratty brother. They are good days because I have already finished my homework and I can do whatever I want all day long. The only bad thing about good rainy days is the electricity bill. Thank goodness I don't pay for it.

On bad rainy days I do my homework or do the laundry. Very little time to have fun until the homework and chores are done. Otherwise my parents get VERY angry. But when all the homework is done there is usually something good waiting for me. So overall there aren't good and bad rainy days there are just good and poorly timed rainy days.

Life Lesson: When it rains you can still have fun but it'll be inside the house

This week I posted on Emelie R's blog

posted on a day when it was raining like crazy

F is for the Floridian Summer

Heat waves floating above the road, sun scorching up in the sky, and beaches covered with people. This is Summer in Florida. Last Summer my family and I went to Florida. While we were there it wasn't always hot and sunny, it was warm and rainy. Rain or shine it was nice.

In my last post I told you about there being sharks at my condo. They don't come in the Summer. In the Summer the water is too hot for them so they swim out to deeper water because it's cooler. The sharks are gone so the water is full of people. At my condo there are man- made reefs and they are a great place for snorkeling. My dad and I would go out and look at all the fish. It was really cool. We would see hundreds of fish, crabs, plants, and we even saw squid. Green rocks covered in plants, crawling with crabs, swarmed with fish, this is what the reefs look like. Snorkeling in Florida is awesome.

The ocean wasn't the only cool thing there. Our condo is awesome. Two 27 story buildings with a giant deck. On this deck there is 2 pools, 2 hot tubs, 7 cabanas, all sorts of plants and trees, chairs and outdoor couches, 2 barbecues, and even a grill. The grill is the condo's private restaurant. It is only open in the mornings and the early early afternoons. It is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It has a large variety of foods. From breakfast to ice cream. The grill is awesome.

Life lesson: Summer is hot but it's hotter in Florida!

I commented on Blayne's Blog

S is for SHARKS!!!

After 24 for hours of driving in a car you see what you have been waiting for. A warm paradise called Florida. Palm trees and beaches show you that you have found the place.

This March break I stayed at my condo in West Palm Beach. My condo is called 2700 North Ocean on Singer Beach. It is warm there... all year round! No snow unlike home. Winter there is like Spring/Summer here. Summer there is deadly.

This time while we were there we saw sharks. Yes sharks. They were Spinner sharks. You are probably wondering what spinner sharks are right now, aren't you? Well they are a smaller type of shark that have a tendency to jump out of the water and spin in the air. As I said they are a smaller type of shark, they grow to about 5-7 feet.

My parents had come down to Florida in January/February 2009 and they stayed there for a week. While they were there they got to see the Singer Island Sharks. That was when you could see hundreds of sharks right off the beach. There wasn't just Spinner sharks, there was other sharks like Tiger sharks, Bull sharks, Hammerhead sharks, and Black- Tip sharks. My family and I love seeing the sharks at Singer Island.

Life lesson: Sharks may be scary but they are a sight to see.

I commented on Tyler's blog post.