Giving back to the community is important, especially to
Jens Stoltenberg who said “When
autumn darkness falls, what we will remember are the small acts of kindness: a
cake, a hug, an invitation to talk, and every single rose. These are all
expressions of a nation coming together and caring about its people.” What
Stoltenberg meant with this quote is that when people reach their darkest
hours, what they remember is the small things that other went out of their way
to do for them. People cherish these moments of joy and satisfaction from
another person’s actions. This fall I had the chance to take Dr. Soldani’s AMH
2020 class where we were given opportunities to help the local community.
Specifically, Dr. Soldani puts on a regular dinner and an annual Thanksgiving
feast for the Veterans Village in Tallahassee.
Being a veteran myself, I
thought it was only right to participate in at least one of these dinner’s
throughout the year. I decided on the Thanksgiving Day dinner because the
holidays are when people reach their lowest points and could use someone to be
around. This Thanksgiving I cooked and prepared a ham for the meal. I was
pleased to see the over a handful of others who showed up to help with this
dinner. Professors, current students, former students and friends of Dr.
Soldani came together. All bringing a large smile and hot food to give to the
veterans. Prior to serving the food I got to sit down and have multiple
conversations with my fellow veterans. I really could tell they enjoyed having
someone to share their military stories with and also to hear some new stories
from myself. As a group effort we got to
personally talk to and serve each veteran who came up. Everyone being there and
serving up big warm meals for the veterans gave them a real smile and sense of
belonging in the room. It felt like a family affair, even if that feeling
lasted for just a short couple hours. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to meet
every veteran staying in Veterans Village, but we did get make an abundance of
extra plates to go for everyone who wanted more. After serving all the food and
cleaning up, some stayed around conversating for a while truly enjoying others
presence. After leaving, I felt bad that I hadn’t stuck around longer to
converse with others because you never know what a single conversation can do
for someone.
This dinner resulted in it meaning a lot to me. From
being in the Marine Corps, I live off the core values of Honor, Courage, and
Commitment. I believe going and providing a family dinner environment for these
men and women was the definition of having honor for yourself, and your
country. I strongly believe in the Marine saying, “No Man [or Women] Left
Behind,” and that’s what these dinners are all about. These men and women at
Veterans Village have given the same or if not more of a sacrifice to their
country as I have. With this, it is only right that I come support them while
they are down. I would wish that other veterans would do the same for me for
when I am in my darkest hours. As you looked around and saw the conversations
in the room for the day I was there, you could see the excitement in the
conversations. To us, these were just normal everyday conversations, but for
these men and women the conversating gave a sense of home. While you are
serving, those around you are your family. Since I left my house at 17, I have
spent my holidays with other Marines, they truly become your family. It doesn’t
matter if another veteran or I didn’t serve at the same time. What you learn in
the military is that everyone is your brother or sister and to always treat
them as such. This dinner showed this despite everyone not being in the
military. The general feeling of being there for others shined through.
After spending my Thanksgiving this way, I truly hope to
make this a tradition for the next few years of living in Tallahassee. I
strongly believe others should come as well. It doesn’t have to be on
Thanksgiving Day, just simply any of the dinners Dr. Soldani puts on. Going to
these you learn how much it matters to other by just giving a small amount of
your time to them. Relating back to Stoltenberg’s quote, the smallest things
like some food or just talking to someone can change their outlook. When you give
back to someone who needs some outside help, they are going to remember your
actions. I think others should pride themselves in the things they do for their
communities. The biggest things you might do in life will most likely not be
your biggest payday, or the day you bought your dream house. Instead it can be
the incredible feeling after having an interactive conversation with a veteran
after giving them a hot meal. Treat others the way you want to be treated is
what children are preached growing up and still needs to be said as an adult.
Remember that the people in need weren’t always in that situation, just a short
time prior they could have been in the same shoes as you, but one wrong turn
led them to where they are. A small fraction of your time to make an effort in
helping other can change their projection. If someone you know or even yourself
got into those same situations, you would want others to come give support to.
It is important to remember the small things you do for others because when someone
is in their darkest hours, a small hug and conversation can be the match that
ignites them back to shining bright.
