Day 81 -- Driving a friend's daughter

"If you face life with a spirit of adventure and courage, you will get more out of it than if you are timid and unimaginative."
---Eleanor Roosevelt

Today I drove my close friend Salma's daughter home from school. Salma is off on a great adventure, building cultural bridges between Americans, Pakistanis, and the people of Kashmir. I love the way she lives life with such a strong spirit of adventure and courage.

Her daughter is equally admirable. Though she's only a teenager, she has raised thousands and thousands of dollars for various international charities, including the Central Asia Society and Pennies for Peace, by making creative greeting cards that can be used for different occasions.

I have broadened my definition of community service to include close-to-home projects like these because I truly believe that while helping strangers in need is a wonderful thing to do, it's also really important to help those in our immediate community, in whatever way they might need.

Day 80 -- Helping a friend pack/move to a new place

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; But often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us."
---Helen Keller

Today I helped a friend move to a new living space. It's such a monumental undertaking that while my contribution to the effort was not very big, I think I provided some needed moral support.

What I'm finding with a lot of the community service work that I'm doing is that it's not necessarily the size of the project or the amount of work that you do that makes the biggest difference but rather the way your effort is perceived. Sometimes just helping a little bit is perceived by the person on the receiving end to be a big deal, or a big favor, or a big help. Other times you might put in a lot of effort and it may unfortunately almost go unnoticed (this is much more likely when the organizers are part of a very big organization and they just have no idea what each volunteer is doing).

Transitions in life -- be it a new job, new house or apartment, new spouse or anything else --
are hard. Having a trusted friend nearby at a time of change means more than you might imagine to the person doing the changing. I tried to be that friend today.

Day 79 -- Dogsitting (again)

"I shall pass through this life but once. Any good therefore that I can do, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it. For I shall never pass this way again."
---Etienne de Grellet

Today I dogsat (is that a word?) again for my up the street neighbor. I was going to go on a walk with some friends, but needed to get to the dog before 9, and was a bit nervous about taking the dog on the Canal where there are so many other dogs on weekend mornings. So I took Ellie on a walk on my own, then was joined by my sister and had the bonus of not only getting good exercise, but also having a chance to visit with her while getting a vigorous workout for the dog too -- basically killing three birds with one stone, or four if you count helping out a neighbor.

One lesson that I have certainly learned is that helping a friend or neighbor is so simple in principle, but often harder in practice. We are all so busy, with our children, our work, our errands, our homes, our extended families, our bills, and so much more. I have found that it therefore takes a concerted effort to help others, and in my experience nearly always pays off in different ways. So today, while it might have been nice to socialize with friends, I reaped several other benefits by being with the dog instead. And now that her owners are back home, I'm already looking forward to my next dog-sitting opportunity!

Days 77 and 78 -- Dog sitting on Thanksgiving & the day after

"Don't let what you can't do stop you from what you can do."
---John Wooden

I made an arrangement with my wonderful friend and neighbor Carol to dogsit for her for three days beginning Thanksgiving Day. The dog is an adorable lab retriever. I thought it'd be a great enhancement to our family Thanksgiving to have a beautiful, well-trained dog in our midst. And besides, I get my dog fix these days via dog-sitting.

It probably was a little too much -- I had a huge meal to prepare, we had kids in our family who were a bit scared of dogs, and it was not easy to find the time to go to the dog's house and take it for walk. And with so many relatives around, it's pretty chaotic here, though in a good way.

But I'm so happy to be doing this. From a selfish viewpoint, I love dogs and get my dog "fix" by dog-sitting since we no longer have our own dog; from the viewpoint of a mom, I love seeing the smiles that the dog puts on the children's faces; and from the viewpoint of a wife, I'm glad that the dog gave my husband and I an excuse to spend a little time together -- when the dog needed walking tonight, it was Rick who walked with me to the dog's house, took a short walk, and then walked home together. Doesn't sound like much of a date, but it's pretty much the only time we've had alone together in the past several nights -- so I'll take what I can get:-)

So overall, what I'm finding is that with the extra responsibility of a dog I'm staying up way too late and not getting to do things like frame the photos that I took a while ago. But on the other hand, we are reaping the benefits of having a super well-trained dog in our home, and it's most definitely easier to dog-sit than to dog-own. I reminded my husband of that as he shivered his way home from the chilly fall night.

I can't do everything, so I often try to focus on giving right here in my community!

Day 76 -- Bringing baked goods to the shelter

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why...I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?"
---Robert F. Kennedy

Today I delivered to Community-Based shelter the baked goods that I prepared the other day" cranberry bread, pumpkin bread, and just plain sort of corn bread. I thought the traffic would be terrible going there, but in fact it was fine.

I was inspired to do more baking after last night's Children's Inn project - you wouldn't believe how much food we ended up with there, due to several MoverMoms' generosity. So I thought, why not bring more than I initially had planned, as that way it could feed more people.

This is the type of inspiration that I like and am always on the lookout for, namely the type that is right under your nose, or not too far away from it. You don't have to watch the Person of the Week on the News to be inspired to go beyond what is expected of you. Sure those people are incredibly inspiring, and I love watching those news segments each Friday evening, but there are pleny of small acts of generosity, kindness or heroism being done each day among people we know in a myriad of ways. I saw that evidenced at The Children's Inn last night, then again in a totally different way today when my mom came for the holiday.

She took my girls shopping and they came home with a cashmere sweater for me! Totally unnecessary and totally a surprise, yet they know I love that soft fabric and that I won't buy it because it's pricey. I also saw it at Giant, when I went to get the Thanksgiving groceries and a worker in the dairy aisle was so friendly even though he was wildly busy.

So as we approach Thanksgiving, perhaps make a concerted effort to be a bit kinder, more generous, and on occasion even more heroic than you usually are. Tis the season for that as much as it is for shopping!



Y

Day 75 -- Serving dinner at The Children's Inn

"Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything good in the world."
---Helen Keller

Tonight I served dinner at the Children's Inn at NIH, where sick children and their families stay while the kids get groundbreaking treatment for their diseases. What an amazing place - an uplifting, bright and cheery environment. I didn't see any moping families but rather people who came with a smile on their faces and what looked like attitudes of strength and gratitude in the face of tremendously challenging situations.

I was fortunate to be there with a wonderful group of moms from MoverMoms. The generosity in our group is incredible -- so many people took the time and effort and money to cook pasta, lasagne, meatballs, and more; to bake delicious desserts; to prepare salads; and to buy drinks, fruit, vegetables and other stuff.

We could have fed 100 people, though barely a third of that many arrived for dinner. It was definitely fun with a great purpose, though I had forgotten that getting through the security at NIH is almost like going through airport security for an international trip!

Day 74 -- Driving friend to airport

"A ship in harbor is safe -- but that is not what ships are built for."
---John A. Shedd

Today I drove my very dear friend Salma to the airport to see her off on what will no doubt be an amazing trip. I think sometimes I tend to look for community service projects far and wide in connection with various non-profit organizations, without realizing that they can be very close to home, namely acts of kindness as simple as helping a friend or neighbor in whatever they might need.

She is taking her dad to the country of his birth - Pakistan, and also heading up to Kashmir to research an article on an American man there (Todd Shea) who is building hospitals for children. Among her luggage was a duffel bag filled with small toys and other items for children in those hospitals. They were collected from MoverMoms and other generous people that Salma knows.

This is a woman whom I greatly admire, in part for her sense of adventure but also for her sense of purpose. She is on a mission to take her father to see the places where he father spent many of his childhood years, but also to see the best side of mankind as she heads up to a freezing cold, war-torn and earthquake prone region, where Todd Shea does his humanitarian work.

Salma is truly a cultural ambassador, a bridge builder of people of different faiths and backgrounds. She is on her plane right now, so I guess all I hope and pray she has a safe journey - and that she returns with lots of wonderful stories to share.

Day 73 -- Baking breads for shelter

"There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm."
---Willa Cather

Today I did more baking for two homeless shelters in Rockville: cranberry-orange loaves and cake. Had to squeeze it in between lots of activities, and this week --with my two older daughters and some relatives arriving between Tuesday and Thursday -- is looking to be even busier than the weekend.

The challenge is fitting in volunteering with all the other stuff going on, not to mention my writing work. Won't be easy but it's such a part of my routine now that I will definitely plan for it. Will be more stuff that I can do from home, and I may need to get a bit creative.

I've learned that community service is such a broad term and can include such a wide range of activities, that no matter how busy I am I should not try to come up with an excuse not to do it. The many needs in the community -- big or small -- don't go away just because I have a busy calendar.

So as I approach the last one quarter of this journey, just as the holiday season is approaching, it may get harder, not easier to meet each day's goal. But I'm determined to find projects that are manageable and to fit my schedule around them, not necessarily vice versa. Which is why I like today's quote....

Day 72 -- Baking muffins for homeless shelter

"It's better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness."
---Confucius

Today I began a community service project that will last for several days, though not consecutively. It won't change the world, but maybe it will put a few smiles on people's faces at breakfast time.

I committed to bringing enough breakfast breads/muffins to serve 36 people at either of two homeless shelters in Montgomery County for 5 days during Thanksgiving. That's about 180 servings! Oy vay, what was I thinking?

I guess I was thinking that I love to bake, but truthfully, there's so much cooking at Thanksgiving already, with my sister and her family and my mom coming to town, and a good friend and her kids coming for the meal on Thursday, that I probably wasn't wise to take on more baking responsibilities. So if you by any chance like baking and want to drop something by my house....hint, hint...

Anyway, tonight I baked two pumpkin loaves but even those will feed only about 24. Better get back to more baking (perhaps buying?) tomorrow....I guess we all bite off more than we can chew sometimes. Such are the times we are living in. Just have to figure out a way to get it all done when we do that. In this case it may be delegating....stay tuned!

Day 71 -- Being a Friendly Visitor to an elderly woman

"Giving opens the way for receiving."
---Florence Scovel Shinn

Today I took the elderly woman with whom I visit on a shopping outing to the new Bloomingdale's store. It was the first time there for each of us, and while I'm not at all a shopping afficianado, we had a wonderful time browsing around the store.

I have a warm spot for "Bloomie's" since there was one in White Plains, New York near where I grew up, and an outing there was always a special occasion. It was always considered a splurge in my family to go there, yet we did go on occasion, and I always felt pretty special and under the illusion that I was fashionable after leaving the store with a clothing purchase.

Though I haven't been there in over 20 years, to this day I can remember the exact layout of the whole store, where the dresssing rooms were, and even the food area, where I'd salivate over the gourmet chocolates and other out-of-my-price-range food treats. Memory sure is a funny thing!

So while I wouldn't choose shopping as a way to spend my free time, it was actually fun as a volunteering experience. We didn't buy a thing, rather just went from department to department looking at and admiring the merchandise: shoes, handbags, scarves, sweaters, suits, coats, makeup, and even housewares. How can anyone sleep with 8 pillows on the bed, or take the time to take them on and off the bed each day, we wondered as we looked at the elaborately made beds!

We were perplexed about why a sit-down cafe of some kind wasn't built into the store, as that would seem a natural thing to have, especially since women are no doubt the primary customers and many women love to shop and socialize simultaneously! Anyway, on our way out we got to sample some Chanel perfume, which smelled sooo good, almost good enough for me to buy, were it not way out of my price range.

I totally enjoyed the company of my new elderly friend, a woman who is a real class act both in the way she dresses and acts. And so we're planning to go to Tyson's Corner Center next time, for a bit of shopping and lunch. I, the n0n-shopper, am already looking forward to that!

Day 70 -- Hosting Writer's group meeting

"Whether you think you can, or that you can't, you are usually right."
---Henry Ford

Today I hosted a meeting of the Writer's group started by my friend Caralee Adams. It's a wonderful group of women (and sometimes a man) who all do some kind of writing work. Some are freelancers, some are employed part-time, and some work full-time.

We sit around and talk about the types of projects we are working on. Today's meeting was small, just three of us sitting at my kitchen table. We managed to cover a lot of topics beyond writing, and somehow two hours flew by. As always I gained some new information to help with potential future writing or work-related projects.

Among our topics, we talked about how difficult it has become to be a freelance journalist. Many organizations are doing more of their writing work in-house in order to save money, and publications seems to be cutting back on freelancers as well.

Still, we love what we do -- provide information in different forms to our readers. And we plan to stick with it through these tough times. Words are powerful, and putting them together in such a way as to inform, persuade, and inspire is very gratifying (when it works and especially when you get paid to do it!).

Day 69 -- Helping at the Writing Center

"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn."
---John Cotton Dana

Today I volunteered at the Writing Center at Whitman. It was quiet there, and the only student who needed help was working on a paper about Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms." Fortunately there was a teacher there to help, as I alone would be pretty useless with that book.

I read it long ago, but am not up on it enough to help someone write about it's themes or about the characters. Just listening to the discussion made me realize that I really need to someday take a refresher class in American literature at a local college or on a family trip to Chautauqua. It would be so cool to make literary references, or to understand more of them when others make them!

I also spent some time getting ready for the Writer's Group meeting at my house tomorrow. Nothing fancy to prepare, but as usualy with entertaining I did need to do a basic cleanup and get the food. It's always fun having that group here or meeting elsewhere for it, as we talk "shop" about freelance writing - the pros/cons/challenges and more. Sort of like talking to colleagues at the office I suppose, only for those of us who work from home we have to settle for once a month of that! Will let you know how it goes...at least my house doesn't look like a hurricane hit it...

Day 68 -- PTSA meeting at the high school

"The wisest mind has something yet to learn."
---George Santayana

Tonight I attended the high school PTSA meeting. These meetings are always information-filled and interesting, but usually nothing too controversial. Well tonight was an exception to that.

Some representatives from T-Mobile came to propose putting a cell tower on top of a lamp post at the baseball field at Whitman. They claimed health risks are minimal if there are any at all, and that the tower would be unobtrusive while making phone service better.

Several audience members strongly disagreed with each of these assertions, especially the one about the minimal to none health risks. My good friend Chris was super-articulate in making the case that the jury is still out on possible health risks such as cancer and that a while back people were saying there's no such thing as a risk from second-hand smoke when today it's a well known cause of various illnesses.

Many people there disagreed, but when she tried to find out how to channel this disagreement and make it know to the people who decide, that was a little less clear. It was also unclear who actually makes the final decision. Another good case was made by someone who said that on the website promoting it's cell phones, T-Mobile makes it look like there are no gaps in coverage in our area, yet here at the meeting they were claiming there are gaps (and thus the tower is needed).

I wanted to chime in that anyone with T-Mobile who has gaps in coverage might want to switch to Verizon, as I almost never have any trouble with service anywhere near the high school.

Anyway, it was an interesting discussion, and while I agreed very much with the position that we don't need this tower, I did feel a little bad for the company representatives, as I'm not sure if they knew the opposition they'd get (and I've been on the receiving end of unexpected opposition back when I tried to get a local school re-opened. It wasn't fun).

I'm so glad to live in a community where people really care about these and so many other issues. It's a well-informed group of people who ultimately increase quality of life for all of us.

Day 67 -- Helping at Elementary School

"Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself."
---Chinese Proverb

I love volunteering in my daughter's second grade class. The kids are adorable, and as I've said on other days when I've volunteered there, the teacher is wonderful. So patient and kind, as are most of the teachers at this elementary school. I feel very lucky to live in this district, where public schools certainly rival private schools in terms of quality and parent involvement (though I would think class size is smaller in private school).

I spent most of the time in the copy room, but was totally fine with being there since that's what the teacher needed done. I'm a big believer in the idea that volunteers should do what they are asked and told to do rather than try to control the agenda. As a mom, I do enough of that at home and enjoy the concept of sitting back and being told what to do!

We also had the MoverMoms Board meeting here at my house tonight. What a remarkable group of women we have on that Board. Lawyers, computer experts, writers and others -- each person is amazing in her own right, and I'm grateful that she has taken time to serve on this Board.

Day 66 -- Volunteering at Breathe Deep lung cancer walk

"You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow too."
---Sam Rayburn

Meaningful doesn't begin to describe the event I helped at today with other MoverMoms. Touching, powerful, inspirational - it was all of those and more. I helped out at Breathe Deep DC, a 5K walk to raise funds for lung cancer research and awareness of lung cancer. It's the #1 cancer killer and kills more people each year than do breast, ovarian, and cervical cancers combined.

Jerry Sorkin, a local dad, has Stage 4 lung cancer. He and his wife are the brains behind this event. They have a huge network of family and friends, so the turnout today was incredible. There were chants of Je-rry, Je-rry from the crowd of about 1500 who stood together in the shadows of the Washington Monument. And it seemed to be organized flawlessly, with everything from a kid's tent, to a Jumbo-tron that had photos of other Breathe Deep walks in different cities, including Baghdad and the Caribbean island of Turks and Caicos!

I hadn't seen the sunrise in a while and was exhausted when the alarm went off at 5:50 AM (I was up last night till about 1 AM). But once I was in the car with other MoverMoms I was fine. When we got downtown it was so serene and beautiful, especially at the Tidal Basin near the Jefferson Memorial. There were some volunteers who gave us minor tasks but the lucky thing was that we also got to go for a walk around the Washington Monument. Oh, and I forgot to mention that it was indeeed a beautiful sunrise over the Capital!

My prediction? This walk gets bigger and bigger each year, especially if the weather forecast is anything like today.

Day 65 -- Helping Rick give away clothes

"Well done is better than half said."
---Benjamin Franklin

Today I helped my husband declutter his wardrobe. Initially I was supposed to help a friend who is chairing a charity auction load up her car with all the auction stuff. But by the time I got to her house she was done.

Seeking a last minute project, my wonderful husband said he really needs to go through his clothes and get rid of lots of stuff he never wears anymore. Boy was he not kidding! On his giveaway pile were at least 5 pairs of shoes, a couple of suits, about 15 nice shirts and 15 t-shirts, pajamas, many pairs of shorts and pants, and a bunch of ties and belts. I had no idea he had that many clothes!

Together we filled his stuff in 4 large black trash bags and got them ready to donate to charity. He had not gone through his stuff that thoroughly in many years and realized much of the clothing was stuff he wore in high school. I took a couple of patriotic shirts for myself and one of our daughters, and also kept a pair of long underwear that no doubt will be useful in cold weather!

So while it was a bummer to not be there in time to load up the auction stuff, this was definitely one of those "go to Plan B" times in which we really benefitted. Now Rick's drawers and closet are not overflowing with stuff he doesn't wear, and hopefully people who are in need of clothes, shoes and other menswear will have more to choose from :-)

Day 64 -- Delivering Meals on Wheels

"The control center of your life is your attitude."
---Norman Cousins

Today I once again delivered meals to elderly people through the Meals on Wheels program. I love the opportunity it gives me to talk to older people.

Some are very upbeat and friendly, whereas others are quieter and more reserved. One talks about his fond memories of being a teacher and high school administrator (I especially like him since he asked me today if I'm a college student!!) Another person is always working on difficult puzzles.

But some don't seem to be doing as well - in one house it always smells like smoke and looks like it desperately needs a cleaning job, though the woman who lives there seems very appreciative of the meal delivery.

It's hard to think of ourselves at different ages, but I hope if I'm fortunate enough to be as old as most of these people that I have as positive an attitude towards life as many of them do.

Day 63 -- Helping at the school book fair (again)

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them."
---Mark Twain

Once again I got to spend time at the school book fair, this time with my daughter. It's so great to see kids getting excited about books, as so many statistics and headlines seem to be saying that kids (and adults too for that matter) are no longer reading.

You'd never know that at this book fair. Kids were browsing all kinds of books, from novels to sports books to picture books and more. They seemed very interested in reading and overjoyed to be purchasing (or to have their parents purchasing) multiple books.

My daughter had picked out two books - one called The Diary of a Wimpy Kid (or something like that) and a spy-related book, but in the end she picked out a white board on a high quality piece of wood that is a chart for chores.

Can you believe she'd pick a non-book at the book fair? And can you believe I said ok to that? We both figured we have a backlog of unread books so may as well not add to the collection. And truthfully, this seems to be something that will encourage and motivate her to do more chores and be more responsible - sounds good to me!

Day 62 --- Helping at the school book fair

"All rests with those who read."
---Philip James Bailey

Today I helped out at the Bannockburn Book Fair, an annual event that the kids love. The book selections are not as good as a place like Barnes & Noble or Border's, but there's something very special for the children to have the books displayed in a very child-friendly way in the gym.

It's another community event that not only yields several thousand dollars, but also has so many people (mostly moms) working together for a good cause. It's fun to be the "cashier" for a couple of hours, as you get to see what books others are buying (as well as items like pencils, posters, and bookmarks) and to browse the shelves for one's own kids as well as for gift books. For kids there are a wide range of books, but for adults, it's mostly limited to cookbooks, sports books, and some bestsellers.

One adult book that caught my eye is "This I Believe," which focuses on life philosophies of a wide range of people. Looks very inspiring, exactly the type of book I enjoy reading these days or giving as a gift. The book is based on many NPR interviews, and as I flipped through it I could totally imagine listening to the short essays on radio. I'll probably buy it tomorrow, as I'm going back to volunteer again, this time with my youngest daughter.

The book fair brings back memories of when my older girls were young and in elementary school, as they used to love this event. I even remember there being art projects there one year, and the girls made plastic plates with their own design on them. Believe it or not we still eat on those. I just can't bare to get rid of them, as they represent a time that certainly seems like long ago (actually about 10 or 12 years)!

Day 61 -- Serving dinner at Whitman for newspaper

"Words are the most powerful drug used by mankind."
---Rudyard Kipling

Tonight I served dinner at Whitman to the students who write for the school newspaper, the Black & White. Parents take turns bringing and serving meals so that the kids don't need to leave the school and drive to restaurants in many different cars. It save them time, promotes their safety (by not driving) and benefits the environment - a win-win on all counts. Meanwhile, the kids, under the direction of a teacher, produce an outstanding and even award-winning school newspaper.

Interestingly, the two people with whom I volunteered were both dads. I've done this volunteer job at least 4 times in the past and never has there been even one dad. Does this mean times have changed? Are more dads involved in volunteering at their children's schools today compared to 5 or 10 years ago?

I would have to say yes in my experience. Seems like especially at the elementary level, dads are there midday just as moms are, whether it's to volunteer in the classroom, attend a special event, or go on a field trip. Surely the number of moms still far outweigh dads in most communities, but still, seeing a dad there is no longer an anomaly.

Nevertheless I was surprised to see two dads tonight. Fortunately I enjoyed speaking to both of them very much and stayed quite a while afterwards chatting. This was to the dismay of my youngest daughter and her two friends, all of whom came to help serve but were hoping to play basketball in the gym afterwards. No such luck, as we didn't find a ball, but we managed to play several versions of tag and monkey-in-the-middle, 2 of my favorite childhood games!

Day 60 -- Delivering Treats-4-Troops to West Virginia

"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do."
---Henry Ford

Just got back from driving the truck to West Virginia. Everything went well and the folks at Boatsie's Boxes are so appreciative of this huge effort. Got a late start so didn't get there till later than expected, but that was fine.

A highlight was getting to go with my friend Hilary Joel. We got to talk for 13 hours -- -and somehow kept the conversation going the whole time. She is an amazing woman - very involved in many causes and also a very smart executive coach.

I'm so grateful to everyone involved in this huge effort. Hurray -- WE DID IT AGAIN!! More successful than ever in that so many kids were involved and they learned a great lesson about sharing candy and helping soldiers. Lots of companies and organizations involved too, as well as neighborhooods, families, sports teams, schools, and more.

I am glad to have spearheaded it but to me the best part was working on it with so many others in MoverMoms and getting the chance to connect with lots and lots of people around the DC region. Started with a conversation about collection dates and ended with a huge truckload of candy - very cool!!

Day 59 -- Loading the Truck

"Our greatest weariness comes from work not done."
---Eric Hoffer

Guess I agree with this quote. A bunch of MoverMoms and dads (myself included) packed up the Enterprise truck today and we filled it with candy. Candy just kept coming and coming and coming - even hours after we loaded it all. It's more candy than I've ever seen except for at the Hershey factory! You name it, it was there - every type of candy in existence in the US - I'm pretty sure about that.

But even though the project involved physical labor, it was not tiring but energizing to do it. We worked together and finished the job in less than half the time that I expected. Really nice to have different friends meet each other and get to talk while volunteering.

So the truck is loaded and ready to go. Heading out tomorrow with a very good feeling about hundreds or more likely thousands of participants in this project, especially kids, and of getting to meet so many people (though my house is a mess and I've got a big list of errands that I've been successfully avoiding!).

Nervous about the drive for sure, but it's all part of the adventure. Wish me luck!!

Day 58-- Wrapping Up Treats-4-Troops collection

"The future comes one day at a time."
---Dean Acheson

Today was the final day of candy collection. Wow, what a huge mountain of candy we have. And it's all been one email at at time (to listservs), one bag at a time, one day at a time, one FedExed package at a time, one dropoff at a time, at my doorstep or that of one of the other collectors. Yet the sum total is huge -- a truckload totally full.

Remarkable how generous people are - buying candy this year specifically for this project in addition to donating extra Halloween candy. And having their kids go out and trick-or-treat for the troops. I'll miss the constant flurry of activity with candy deliveries to my front doorstep, but really need to get it out of my house before I turn into a house from all the Reese's I'm eating!

Next up for tomorrow: A packing party to load up the truck. Will let you know how it goes!

Day 57 -- Friendly Visitor to an elderly woman

"Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens."
---Jimi Hendrix

Today I met with an elderly woman, through a Friendly Visitor program. She is a real class act - very fashionable, very friendly, and very interesting. I went to her apartment building and we talked for a long time about her family, mine, her childhood and much more. I just loved listening to her stories, and she seemed to enjoy having the company. We are planning to meet again in a couple of weeks, at which time I will take her to see the new shops in Chevy Chase. I had forgotten how much I enjoy being around elderly people. They just seem so wise!

Day 56 -- Delivering Meals on Wheels

"It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
---J.K. Rowling

Had loads to do with Treats-4-Troops but had committed to delivering Meals on Wheels today, so I didn't want to back out. Very gratifying to deliver the meals (one hot and one cold, along with a milk, for each person) and to see how appreciative the elderly people are to receive them, even though they seem fairly basic. Many of the people don't see a lot of other adults during the day, if any, so they welcome me very kindly.

I forgot to bring the hot meals from the church into my car, so when I arrived at the first apartment, the gentleman said "where's my dinner?" to which I could only reply: "Oh no, I left it back at the church." So I had to double back and get it, requiring almost twice as much time to do the route, but really no big deal - it was just about 30 minutes extra and I know the recipients are appreciative.

Sometimes we value our time so much that we forget that it won't really matter at the end of the day if we have a half hour or hour less for what we need to do, so long as we are helping others. I kicked myself for being so forgetful, but was so glad I went back and got the hot meals. It's definitely worth it to do so!

Day 55 - Treats-4-Troops collecting/responding to inquiries

"The greatest happiness comes from the greatest activity."
---Christian Nestell Bovee

Candy is flowing into my garage and other collection sites like Niagara Falls - it just keeps coming and coming. Today I got it FedExed to my house, and received another package via UPS. A delivery is coming from New Jersey as well as a big load from Baltimore.

A woman is collecting in Alexandria and a company is doing so in Clarksburg. A veteran is going around his neighborhood telling people about the project and kids are bringing it in their backpacks to drop off in schools. One guy who came by with several boxes explained that he's a teacher and he challenged his students to bring in more candy than his weight - they definitely succeeded!

In short, it's become a huge community event. Just answering people's questions about when, how, where, and what types of candy they can drop off is more than a part time job this week. I am amazed at people's willingness and persistence in donating their candy. Very inspiring!!

Day 54 -- Coordinating Treats-4-Troops Transportation

"Opportunities multiply as they are seized."
---Sun Tzu

Today was a continuation of the Treats-4-Troops project, with a focus on transportation. Last year Enterprise Rent-A-Car donated a cargo van that we filled with donated candy and drove (along with a station wagon) to Wheeling, West Virginia. This year the hope/concern is that we'll have even more candy and need a bigger vehicle. We really want to fit the candy in one vehicle so that Cheryl and I (actually we call ourselves Thelma and Louise on the road!) can drive together (last year we caravaned).

So I picked up the phone and did the old fashioned thing - I called Enterprise, and the guy who remembered me referred me to the company's commercial truck division. That division has been kind enough to loan us (free of charge, though we pay for gas) one of their 16 foot Boxcar trucks. I haven't driven one of those before but am actually looking forward to it. We'll be on the open road, hopefully mostly in daylight, so it shouldn't be too hard, right? Any of you out there driven this type of vehicle?

Meanwhile, candy continues to flow in from so many areas - Baltimore, Woodbridge, Annapolis, College Park, Alexandria, even New Jersey and elsewhere. Here's my question -- where would it go otherwise??? Probably largely on our hips, a thoughy I hate to consider!

Day 53 -- Baking muffins for a teacher breakfas

"Only the educated are free."
---Epictetus

Today I baked muffins for a teacher breakfast at Bannockburn ES. Got a late start on the baking process, as they were supposed to be at school by 8:30. Then realized I didn't have as many muffin holders as I thought, but it was too late to get to the grocery for more.

Still, I baked them anyway, with chocolate chips, and brought them over to the school along with some OJ. A bit weird looking, and a bit overcooked, but still pretty tasty (the chocolate chips do wonders!). Fortunately there was a huge spread of food there, so the fact that I didn't bring more than a dozen muffins was insignificant.

Guess I get an A for effort, though about a C for outcome! But that's part of the volunteering experience - you do the best you can and no one penalizes you for the result; actually, I find the opposite is usually the case - your effort is much appreciated, no matter how meager it is. Which is why I keep coming back to the idea that making a small difference is so much better than making a tiny difference.

The teachers at Bannockburn are truly awesome - so devoted to the kids, and so friendly to the parents. They certainly deserves any appreciation given to them by parents. And one teacher in particular, my friend Ross Mills, also deserves the votes of everyone who knows him. He's been nominated for a teacher award by the Gazette newspapers. If you haven't voted yet, do so early and often, as in Chicago, by going to: http://www.gazette.net/teacher/

Day 52-- Treats-4-Troops high schools collection - OMG

"There is a time to let things happen and a time to make things happen."
---Hugh Prather

Today was the big collection day for Treats-4-Troops at two area high schools. We got tons of candy at both locations, Walt Whitman High School and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. It was possible to do because of the generous volunteers in MoverMoms -- women and kids who took time out of their day to man the collection point.

Given that it was pouring much of the morning, volunteers had to go out in the rain and up to people's cars as they passed us their candy. But no one seemed to mind getting wet for this good cause - it's all so inspiring to me!

And speaking of inspiring - so many kids came and clutched their candy before giving it to us for the troops. Apparently many kids went out trick or treating this year with the intention of keeping some for themselves and giving the rest to soldiers.

I just love that concept - the idea that it's not all about getting more, more, more for me, me, me, but rather about getting some for oneself and the rest for other people.

Then there was the WTOP News stories about the project - those yielded so many inquiries about dropoff points beyond our little Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac niche, as well as providing the opportunity to add a new dropoff point in Clarksburg. I am so pleased that interest has spread far and wide, though I feel bad that we don't have more places for collection. Maybe we'll expand next year....

Meanwhile, the messages and feedback that I've gotten has been so heart-warming. People really are trying to donate their candy to this cause. One woman in Prince George's County is having her husband bring the candy downtown to his office near Union Station, so that he can then come to my husband's office near Metro Center and give him the candy to bring to my house - wow, I'm not sure I'd go through all that effort, but I really admire it!

Anyway, the power of many working together is being proven once again today...and I'm feeling like all the planning was worthwhile, though it's tough to resist the Almond Joys sitting in my garage at this very moment!