What began as an assignment...#5

This weekend I did my community service project for English - spending time with kids in the community (eating, talking, and going to the football game). Some might have seen this as an assignment and in a way it was, but looking back - the kids blessed me more than I blessed them. My Saturday consisted of sleeping 'til nine, watching the movie "My Best Friend's Wedding", and eating by myself in the caf. My family wasn't able to come for family weekend so I had good reason for wanting to be alone. It's not that I wasn't happy for everyone else, but their smiling faces did nothing for my lonely mood. So I stayed out of sight until four - that's when everything changed.
I arrived on the steps of the caf ten minutes early (which is my usual practice) and immediately saw about nine children running around like they had a sugar/Red Bull high. I sat down on the steps and made polite conversation, suddenly, a lady sitting realatively close to me let out an exasperating sigh and said, "Oh please tell me I don't have any boys, I'd prefer the girls." I couldn't help but laugh to myself,then, out of the corner of my eye I saw a little girl staring at me, so I smiled, the girl smiled back and said four words, "You have pretty teeth". I have to admit that this was not the response I had hoped for but I thanked her and awkwardly waited for further instructions.
When asked who she wanted to pair up with the little girl pointed straight at me and said, "I want her." So for the rest of the night I was her partner. Her name was Angel, she was a sweet little thing too, but oh man, could she talk. She reminded of me of when I was her age, full of curiousity and spirit - a regular spit fire. Throughout the night I found out alot about Angel - she had a brother and three sisters, she loved the Saints, she could yell like no one I had ever heard before,and she loved candy! As we were going down the stairs I told her to be careful, she replied that she would be careful because she didn't want to die like one of her friends. She tried to explain to me how her friend died but she was talking so fast I couldn't understand a word... If I could say one thing about her it would be this - she was one of the happiest children I had ever seen. It was then that I realized that she was an angel sent to show me that "its not all about me/ stop feeling sorry for myself"...and I'm so blessed that I was able to meet and spend time with her for however brief a time...what began as an assignment turned out to be a blessing...