My Blessings

I am extremely blessed to have a family and religion that whole-heartedly encourages serving others. I am a part of a small, very tight knit church that is really more of a family than church. Because most of the church members live in my neighborhood, I have always lived in a neighborhood filled with my aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who have known my family for generations so it was natural to lend a helping hand to those around me, even without the golden rule and other biblical teachings.

My parents were also very influential in my choosing to do community service. Although they were not involved in structured community service my parents have always been very helpful to everyone they meet; I can't count the number of times my family would put off dinner to do something for a person who was having emotional problems or just needed a tow. To this day my father is constantly spending his free time fixing cars, helping repair roofs and lending a sympathetic ear.

Although I grew up helping others, it was still kind of hard to start community service. I knew it was the right thing to do, and I wanted to do it, but up until I started SLICE the majority of my service was for people I knew. I had a hard time with the thought that I would be spending a potentially large amount of time with people I don't know well. However, I believe I have been given a gift to talk- alot. This does not always seem like a good thing, but that ability has made me quite outgoing and able to befriend others easily which I have found very beneficial. Another talent I have found helpful in my community service is my musical abililty; I have already helped with therapy with a young girl by simply walking alongside her horse and singing to her!

I feel incredibly blessed to have the background I do- it has made this transition to community service very simple. I also am thankful for the talents I have that I can use to make others' lives better. SLICE is a great opportunity to reach out and help others with the things I have been given. :)