the cannery

Our church has an amazing welfare program to assist members in need. It is run in great part by volunteers. The other day Marisa and I spent our morning canning peaches at the Garden City Cannery.

It's such a feel good experience all around. It seems to me that a sense of humor is a requirement for the full-time employees and volunteers. At one point a rubber rat came floating down the conveyor belt and fell into a can of peaches. (No worries, I'm sure it was sterile.) Marisa screamed and I looked up to see the supervisor getting a good laugh at our expense.

Since four hours is a long time for this prego to go without eating I took a break halfway through. In the hallway they set up a table to with homemade bread and various samples of jam and jelly produced there at the cannery. While snacking I read a quote on the wall. I have a terrible memory and had nothing to write it down with so I will have to do my best to re-quote it. Forgive me Jean Christensen because your words were very eloquent.

"Ultimately I find that I only matter when I matter to someone else. I am only whole when I have divided myself amongst all those who need me. I stand the tallest when I have stooped down to help another. I can only find myself when I have lost myself in service."