I am participating in a sponsored campaign hosted by Advil® as part of the Advil® Relief in Action campaign. I received compensation for this post. While all opinions stated are my own, I make no claims about Advil® as a product or its effectiveness.
A little over a year ago my parents’ neighborhood flooded. A devastating summer wildfire on the mountains above their home left a huge burn scar and when the fall rains came, instead of soaking up the water, the ash and mud came sliding down the mountain and into many homes. My parents’ home was spared but their neighborhood looked like a devastation zone.
As soon as we heard the news about the floods and as soon as daylight hit, we packed up our mud boots and headed to the homes where we saw first-hand what 6 feet of mud in basements really looked like. It was something out of a movie. And then quickly we asked where we could help. My husband immediately crawled into a basement window with lots of other people and I joined in the bucket brigade outside the basement that was dumping the mud and debris out into the streets—-one bucket at a time.
It was hard and tedious work…..bucket by bucket. But my sore arms taught me an important lesson that day. That behind every bucket was a person. A person who was willing to drop their immediate needs and rush to the aid of others….and it is a couple of days I will never forget. There were football and track teams from local high schools that cancelled practice to come and unload mud – bucket by bucket. And there were university students who came by the car loads to help – bucket by bucket. It was amazing to see.
Yes, my children have participated in charity events, they helped sew skirts and weave elastic through casings for Skirting the Issue this summer. And we have done other service projects as a family. But, I am reminded that this Holiday season I want to do another service project as a family. I want my children to grow up serving and loving it and teach them what goodwill to men really means.
And I want them to know how little it may seem – that every bucket counts.
~Elizabeth
~Elizabeth
P.S. Do you have any great Holiday service projects that you do with your family? I really would love to hear some ideas…..
This post is part of the Advil® Relief in Action initiative which celebrates the millions of active volunteers who don’t let pain stop them from helping others. And they are asking for your photos of Relief in Action. Like Advil® on Facebook and follow @ReliefinAction on Twitter and Instagram. Share your own Relief in Action by posting pictures of your volunteer efforts with the hash tag #ReliefinAction on Twitter and Instagram.
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