Dorot

The NPO i'm going to be working for this summer, Dorot, means 'Generations' In Hebrew. It's about being a family for seniors whose real families can't take care of them anymore. They don't pay us or the organization for it; they just call us and receive a meal if they need it, or someone to talk to if they're lonely, or a volunteer who can teach them if they want to attend a class. I chose this over other community service projects because I am so grateful for my own family. We eat together for most meals, we hang out (as cheesy as that sounds) a lot both during the week and over the weekends, and yet we're not shut-ins. For the most part, we are happy because we've always got each other to talk to, no matter what the situation.

Some of my earliest memories are of me playing with my mother's father in Texas. I really liked to dig holes when I was little, and at one point I wanted to dig all the way to China, so; Opa (that's his name) got his shovel and dug a hole for me in HIS backyard. It was deeper than I was tall at the time - the only thing I could do to thank him was give him a hug and my little-boy smile. I was blond at the time. Had freckles, too. A few years later, I was really fixated on treehouses - what kid isn't when they're that age? Again, as before, Opa stepped up to the plate and helped me build a two-story tall treehouse in that same backyard. He bought the wood, the nails, the hammers and screwdrivers, and even the saws and roof tiles necessary to make it a real 'house.' We spent almost an entire summer getting that thing built... I've still got the photos we took when It was finished. (nostalgic smile)

My mothers' grandfather owns a farm out there. He's gone now, may he rest in peace, but when I was four years old he'd take us out to the pasture and let me run around and chase his cows xD they're so scared of anything human, they'll take off the moment you start WALKING towards them.


more nostalgia later...