In the future, when I look back on this adventure of mine, I want to be able to remember how I changed, grew and what I learned from it. Because there has been so much and I will forever be grateful for this experience but I know I need to consciously remind myself of the things I have learned, or I shall forget it all. And that would be a pity, to say the least.
1. Things are just things, you don’t need them to make you happy
Three months ago, I would have told you that when I was growing up, my family was extremely poor and that we got by on very little. I’ll have a hard time saying that ever again. We had a refrigerator. A microwave. We didn’t have dirt floors. We had a roof that kept out water and mold. We had hot water. We had clean water and sanitary food. We had a heater and air conditioning system. We had a telephone. We were able to go to a good public school. We had washers and dryers. We could travel to church in less than 10 minutes. We had cars. I have two married parents.
Oh my goodness! I can maybe only tell you a handful of people I have met up here who have even just one of these luxuries. So many of the kids who come to us for lunch and homework help have never had these things and it’s possible that they never will. But they can run and jump and play like I did as a kid. They tell jokes and tease others just like I did as a kid. They love to hug and show love and give gifts like I did as a kid. They look out for their brother’s and sisters a lot more than I did as a kid. And most importantly they are happy, just like I am. 
They don’t need all those “fancy” things, like carpet, a roof or warm beds to be happy. A couple years ago, I was convinced that I could never be happy without my cell phone, or that I had every right to be angry when all the hot water was gone before I showered, or that my chores were so hard.
I’m sooo glad I got to experience just a tiny bit of what it’s like to live without.
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