Southeast Day of Service...

Happy Belated Earth Day.

If it wasn't for the fact that Thing 1 remembered that she was supposed to wear green and blue to school yesterday, I would've completely blanked that it Earth Day was even happening. Because all the community "celebrations" are on Saturday, that's why.

We celebrated by distributing paper bags to lots of our neighbors. Attached to each one was a note explaining that we're collecting food for a local soup kitchen. Because they have run out of food.

And that is unacceptable.

In fact, it's a small part of a huge interfaith day of service here in the Southeast this Saturday.

It just has to be a success.

I can't stand the thought of people going hungry.

Neither can Thing 1.

That's why, as we handed out the paper bags, she would run anxiously up to anyone who happened to be out in their yard or getting in their car to give them their bag. Sometime people would see us coming and try to hide in their garage. But she just followed them in there.

The scenario generally went like this:

Startled Neighbor: "AAAAAH! Oh. Hi?"

Thing 1: "We're giving food to the poor people! Put food in the bag!"

Confused Neighbor: "Whaaaa?"

Thing 1 (louder): "FOOD FOR THE POOR PEOPLE. IN THE BAG."

Chagrined Neighbor: "Oh. Uuuuuh. Okay."

Thing 1: "BYE!!!!"

I loved it. I just followed her up the street, carrying her supply of bags. If no one was outside, she would carefully hang them on their mailbox, commenting on their lovely flowers, or the cute cars. (Any kind of small car is "cute".) She noticed every pet cat and pet dog. She was careful not to step on their lawns.

I was so proud.

Now we wait and hope and fill a bag of our own.

I hope for their own sake that our neighbors are generous, or they might get a serious Talking To from my daughter.