We went to a shelter today to make a spaghetti meal for those who live there. We made sure to get strawberries and ice cream (what little ice cream we could find in the stores). It was beautiful standing inside the kitchen and watching people scarf down pasta, salad and a dessert. Slicing ten pounds of onions was a pain but it was well worth it. Side note here......I was hoping the onions would make me cry and then I could bawl my eyes out and blame it on the onions......nothing. I think this is the absolute first time in my life I've sliced into an onion without shedding a tear. It's not a "Japanese onion" thing either as two nights ago I managed to get a good cry in when slicing the same type of onion bought at the same store. Go figure.
There are families in this shelter with kids. I've seen young women volunteering here for the past several days (all volunteers have a duct tape sticker on their arm) and I saw them today and yesterday running around with the children. People are pitching in all over. High school students whose schools were damaged do whatever they can. A young Japanese man who was living in Canada came back here (he's from here) the day after the earthquake and also volunteers with City Hall as well as All Hands. There's just no hesitation whatsoever. People are helping. Everywhere. That we can cook a meal for them every now and then is a no brainer. That I didn't cry at all after cutting up 10 pounds of onions? Serious "brainer".......sorry. Couldn't resist. I have to make these little jokes here and there. There's not a lot of laughter around these days, for obvious reasons.
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