AMH2020 student
Maya Angelou once said, “I've
learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.” As I look back and
reflect on all the good deeds I have done this semester, one really jumped out
to me the most. The Holiday Drive. What
this was, is I got together a box with towels, blankets, and a gift card to
give to the veterans in Afghanistan. Although they do not know who I am, and
may forget that I was the person who did this, they will never forget how happy
they felt when they received this gift, just like Maya Angelou said.
Looking at what I want to
study and what my major is, although I am undecided, I have pretty good idea of
what I want to do. Whether I am a teacher, doctor, or nurse, just to name a
few, I will always be helping people. The service project I participated most defiantly
connects to what I would like to study, and my main value in life.
In the community, I believe
it has a huge impact on people. Not only because they are getting things, but
it shows people that there are still nice people in the world today and that they
are grateful for what all the veterans do. Also, if someone else sees you doing
a good deed like this, it may inspire them to do it too. Once other people are
inspired by your actions, it can create a chain of good deeds, and before you
know it, this world can become a better place.
Since I was in elementary school,
I participated in something called “The Angel Tree Program.” What this was, was
everyone who had signed up for this got an angel. The angel was a little kid
who didn’t get to have the Christmas experience we get to have. They are less
fortunate and would be grateful for anything. I would get a list of necessities
to get for my angel such as; shoes, toothbrush, socks, underwear, and a small
toy. Usually, I would go a little over board and get a few extra things that
weren’t required. I would wrap it up in a gift box and bring it to my school,
so they could mail it to my angel. My elementary/ middle school had this every
year. As I transferred to high school, they also participated in this act of
service and I carried on my good deed for the next four years. As I started
college and the holiday season came back around, I wasn’t able to participate
in this anymore. Thankfully for the Holiday Gift Drive, I was able to still
participate in something that was so similar. This made me feel really good and
the fact I got to carry out this wonderful deed for another year made me feel
even better.
When people receives packages
like this, how do you think it makes them feel? What if you were in their
position and thought nobody thought about you or even cared about you. I know
if it were me, and I received a package from an absolute stranger, it would put
the biggest smile on my face. Knowing there is someone out there who cares, and
appreciates me for all that I do. The smallest thing, can make a huge
difference. For example, even giving someone that you pass by on your walk to
class a compliment, or smile at a stranger. You may not know it, but something
that small can make a persons’ whole day.
As this semester to an end, it’s
ironic because one of the assignments in my English class was to make a list of
all the good deeds I have done from the beginning of September all the way till
the end of November. I had to make a list of good deeds that I did for myself
and for others and document them each day. At the end of the assignment, I had
to reflect on which good deed was the most important to me and what I felt was
the best one I accomplished. The holiday gift drive to Afghanistan was what I
said was the most important one to me. I stated in my essay: “As I reflect on the good deeds I have done for
various people throughout these past 3 months, one really jumped out to me the
most. As the holidays are approaching, I thought it would be nice to show an
act of kindness towards those who don’t have the privilege to open up Christmas
presents on Christmas morning like we do. I put together a box of shoes,
pajamas, towels, and snacks to send to the veterans in Afghanistan. As I did
this, it made me feel very grateful, thankful, and happy.” Winston Churchill
once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we
give.” This quote really stood out to me the most. Like I have previously said,
we can make someone’s life/day. We make a living by what we get. We get the
most basic necessities and live by that. What we give, we make a life. They get
what we give, and we give what we get. Our lives are made by what we get so
imagine how any peoples’ lives are made when we give them their basic
necessities that they can’t get on their own like we can.
All in all, good deeds are one of the most
important things in life someone can do. Whether it is an act of giving
something to someone, or just a smirk from across the distance. You never know
what people are going through and what can mean the very most to them. As I was
walking to class the other day, a random girl came up to me and told me how
pretty I looked and smiled. Something that simple made me so happy and made my
day. People are still out there in this world. We just have to find them and be
a leader!
