Final Week :(

This past week, I completed my SoS. I have to admit, I was pretty excited to not have to wake up at 6am or spend my entire day filing but at the same time I was sad to say goodbye to all of the wonderful people I worked with. I was also sad because this was my second and final year working with Meadowbrook. Volunteering there has become something that I look forward to as a part of my summer but since I will be graduating this spring a summer spent at Meadowbrook is most likely not in my future. Over the past two summers that I have spent at Meadowbrook I have learned so many things that I would have never expected to discover. Here are a few things that the past two SoS's have taught me:

1. Sometimes the impact is more important than the action.

-Ok so I have to be honest, when I sat in the SoS meeting towards the end of the school year I wasn't exactly super super excited about my site. As I listened to other Bonners' plans for their summers I felt like volunteering at a school wasn't as interesting or "out of the box" as it could be and because of that I felt like I may not be able to make a true impact on the community that composes Meadowbrook. By the end of the first week I was proven wrong. The principal of the school as well as the other office workers continually told me how grateful they were for my help. Although I often did things that don't seem important like filing or organizing a closet, the impact it made on the school was great and greatly appreciated. Judging by the constant thanks that I received I was completely wrong about not being able to make an impact.

2. Don't forget where you come from.

-As I may have mentioned before, I graduated from Meadowbrook Academy. I was home schooled my first two years and from 2nd grade through my senior year I was a Meadowbrook student. Needless to say, coming back to volunteer was a completely new experience. I was no longer under the authority of the staff but more like a co-worker. Even though I had a new "position" at Meadowbrook it was a great way to reflect on how much the school has shaped who I am as a person. Going away to college was probably the best decision I have made in my life so far because it helped me to discover new things about myself. Even though this change was good going back to Meadowbrook really helped to remind me how I got to where I am today.

Overall, this SoS was great! I went into it knowing what to expect but I was still amazed by how much I learned. Although sometimes the work wasn't the most exciting, I was truly miss Meadowbrook and all of the people that have taught me so much about what it truly means to be a servant.