This last weekend was thanksgiving here in Canada. My partner, his three boys (7, 9 & 12 years old) and I decided to find a way to express our gratitude - we wanted to spread some love and give a little. We decided to take some meals down to the folks who live in the downtown Eastside of Vancouver. We thought it would be a life changing experience for the kids to see folks living in poverty - some with mental health issues and some with addiction - and there are many people who don't have homes.
We did this for several reasons. We thought this would open their eyes to a side of humanity they'd never seen- help them feel more grateful for what they have - help them appreciate things in life a little more. Also, we wanted to teach them that spreading love & kindness not only helps others, but makes you feel great too!
After our thanksgiving meal 12 of our family members formed an assembly line and together we made 48 turkey sandwich meals -they had a bottle of water, a piece of fruit, a sandwich and a chocolate treat. It took us about an hour to assemble all the lunches.....everyone helped - it was awesome!!
The 5 of us loaded up a rolling cart and set out on the downtown Eastside to spread some love and fill some bellies. I Although it was emotionally difficult and sad at times, we were able to keep our smiles wide and spread some love! We offered dinner, high fives, handshakes and smiles.
The experience touched and moved us all. We spent the next 2 days talking with the boys about life, addiction, love, homelessness and gratitude. The coolest part was on the way home in the car they started discussing what we're going to do "next time". I love those boys! ❤️
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