Commitments

The Setup
It's Eighth Grade, and i am just like any awkward, uncoordinated, confused young adult.  In Middle School, I was (believe it or not) a shy, nervous, quiet kid who liked to keep to himself.  In eighth grade, students were required to meet a certain number of "Christian Service" hours in order to graduate.  I decided to volunteer at Eskaton Senior Center, a retirement home close to my house, where i would accomplish my hours of service.

The What
Immediately, i started to think I was out of my element.  One of my biggest jobs was carrying on conversations with the residents.  Now, i had a hard enough times making friends and talking with people my own age.  So, i was expected to make conversation with people i hardly knew and were my grandma's age? I struggled to connect with the residents, because i wasnt giving my entire self to my service, which i later learned is what makes service so great and exciting.

My Service hours came and went, and i felt as though I had gained nothing from my experience.  To me, service was just something I had to do to graduate.  Then, to my slight displeasure, the High School that i dreamed about going to since i was a kid had the same requirement of "Christian Service".  It wasn't until my Sophomore year, that i finally understood the meaning of service.  After almost a year of volunteering, i made my first friend at Eskaton.  His name was Bill, and he was an elderly man who had a love of sports.  He taught at my High School's rival, but loved hearing about how the sports teams were doing at both schools.  Because of Bill, i feel like i was able to branch out and find what really makes service "worth it".

The So What
This internal struggle of not wanting to be a part of a service community made a complete 180.  I began enjoying every moment of volunteering.  Volunteering at Eskaton became a part of my identity.  It became more than an assignment and became something that felt good and was something i enjoyed doing.  Every Friday i went back to that retirement home and performed many activities, duties, and services for the residents of Eskaton.  I made many new friends and role-models with the men and women who lived there.  Four years later i still volunteered at Eskaton at least twice a week, even after my hours were fulfilled each year.

The Now What
Even though i have seen many friends, including Bill, pass away, what each resident has taught me will stay with me forever.  They taught me to feel for others and give my all for others, not just to fulfill some requirement, but to do it because you want to. Looking back, these almost five years of volunteering, at Eskaton, helped shape me into the man i am today.  Without the guiding wisdom of the residents and the happy memories of helping those in need, I cannot imagine what my life would be like.  I think the "Take Away" message from this blog is to give your entire self to others.  I was so hesitant to do this, being such a shy kid, but when i was able to step out of my comfort zone and experience my "Christian Service" fully, the experience is something I wouldn't give up for the world.