Have you ever found something that seemed to be just what you needed when you didn’t even know you were looking for anything?
That’s what happened to me when I read the social media post.
A call for volunteers touched a chord deep within and I was compelled to respond. Emails were exchanged, information given, a questionnaire completed and I was accepted as part of a team to teach English to Mexican students.
We were divided into groups and I was one of those placed with a grade six class.
An orientation was held the week prior to starting. This answered questions and gave us valuable information on the school and the students we’d be working with.
The school system here houses two separate schools in the same building. One has classes in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Each have their own teachers and principal. We’d be in the afternoon school for one hour a week.
We were told that the school was in an extremely poor area and the majority of the students came from homes with no electricity.
Grade six is the last mandatory grade and very few would carry on with their education past this level. The children had little hope for the future, and were resigned to their lot in life.
Our job was to give them some basic language skills and to make it enjoyable. Fun for both the students and teachers was important to this program.
We would also take turns providing a snack for the students. This would be handed out as the students lined up to leave the room at the end of the class. Many would take this snack home to share with younger siblings.
That evening as I sat under electric lights with plenty of food in my fridge and cupboards, I reflected on the vastly different lifestyle, only a few kilometers away. I prayed that I would use the abundance I’ve been given to ease another’s burden and not take for granted what I have.
Although I wouldn’t meet the students for another week, I knew they had already impacted my life.
“Gran, would you like to learn the barn dance?” Emily asked. 
“Did you get to choose your birthday menu, like when we were kids?”, I asked my older brother. 
On our recent drive from Calgary to Vancouver, we encountered many areas with road work in progress. Signage informed us of the upcoming disruption, often with the words, “Construction ahead, expect delays.”
Something was missing on my morning walks alongside the creek this year. One day I realized I had only seen a few ducks and none with ducklings. I enjoyed watching numerous fluffy little ones last year and wondered where this year’s babies were. There must be some nearby. Why hadn’t I spotted any?
For just over two years I’ve been studying Spanish on a language app. Every day I spend time doing lessons. After 832 days, I’ve learned a lot of words but still can’t hold a simple conversation in Spanish.
“I travelled on an unfamiliar road today,” my friend told me. The quiet route had taken her past a small village named Success.
“Can I come for a play date?” I asked. My friend teaches craft classes and is overflowing with talent and creativity.
I’ve probably walked past this spot over a hundred times in the past two years. One day recently, I saw the culvert where the creek passes under the road in a new way. It looked like either the eyes of an owl or a giant pair of glasses!
My thoughts and conversation were dominated by one subject. After asking how the situation was going, my friend said, “You’re grieving your loss of innocence.” I laughed and told her that at my age, innocence was long gone.