I believe that if you want to know one measure of a human being, see how that person behaves under true weariness and exhaustion.
Yesterday I had a very small part in a very big undertaking by a relatively small number of people who have, each year for over fifty years, put on a community Thanksgiving Dinner. As with most events, the bulk of the effort takes place quietly and well before the actual undertaking. The individuals who pull off this prestidigious act spend countless hours in planning, preparation and execution. The day of the dinner begins in the early hours of the morning and ends in the late evening. The actual act of serving during the three-seating-meal is, perhaps, the simplest part, albeit the most vexing. After the public has been served, more hard work takes place with the disassembling of the dining hall back to classroom set-up, the endless cleaning that is necessitated to bring the facilities back to clean-and-gleam, and the put-a-way that requires dogged determination and investigation.
Part of the success of the evening is due, in no small part, to the assistance of local Boy Scouts and their leaders. They provide muscle, manpower, and assistance to both the served and the servers. Their presence is notable because of their smiles, their willingness to provide public service and the proud donning of their uniforms, which proudly sets them apart from all of the others in attendance.
My Shout-Out goes to a father and his two sons, who had been assisting for over five hours, carrying trays, cleaning this and that, handling trash, removing trash, simply helping out wherever needed. All the other Scouts and leaders had left but these three were still there, shoulder to shoulder with the rest of us who were consumed with clean-up. I was scurrying here and there, responding to this question and that request, when I noticed that the trash containers, perhaps eight in all, were filled beyond capacity. (Pulling the over-stuffed bags from the cans had been a challenge all evening. It would often take three of us to remove one bag from a can - usually one adult Scout leader tugging and two of us 'worker bees' pressing down on the can as hard as we could, attempting to prevent the can from being lifted off the floor as the bag was ever-so-slowly pulled upward.) I spied this father and his two sons and asked if they could possibly help with the garbage removal. Dad said yes, even though he must have been very tired, as were probably his sons. They methodically moved about, from can to can, tugging and removing the bags and then carrying them out to the trash container in the parking lot.
To tired, little ol' me, that was the greatest act of assistance and selflessness any person could have provided. I'm certain their feet and legs, too, were weary and sore - last night and probably even today - yet they responded positively and graciously.
A big Shout-Out to Leader-Dad and his two sons. Thank you! You are a true example of Going-Beyond and Community Spirit!
Ancora imparo
