Service Hours

Part of supporting private schools is the requirement that all families work a prescribed number of service hours - helping with fund raisers, developing the library, monitoring lunchrooms, chaperoning field trips, and various other tasks to help cut costs and still provide a full and complete education.

For other schools, I had always selected Saturday or evening activities that did not require hours of phone time. One year I cataloged library books on Saturdays, another I worked a weekend carnival, another time I helped with the plant sale. Its not easy to find a way to work ten hours in a way that fits my already overbooked schedule. So when they asked for volunteers to help decorate the building on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I jumped at the chance to work off some time.

I called the event organizer, and she gave me the details. There would only be four or five of us, and it shouldn't take more than three hours at most. If Drew and I both worked, we could satisfy four to six hours. Not bad. After all, how hard could it be to stick up a few baubles?

I hadn't counted on the temperature being 20 or the wind being brisk. Good thing I had worn both a hoodie and a winter jacket. At least it had stopped raining, and it wasn't snowing! There were swags to hang requiring ladder climbing, an artificial tree to put together, lights to string, wreaths to hang (one from the second floor window), and various decorations to strew about. It all had to be tied down with "invisible wire" aka fishing line.

Since there wasn't a pre-existing plan, it took a half hour to decide what should go where. Obviously, some of the people there had a problem thinking big picture. Not that I wanted to tell anyone their business, but five swags don't go evenly into three porticoes! It took some convincing that you couldn't just start at one end and hope for the best. We munched cinnamon rolls and listened to a few Christmas carols as we took turns cutting wire, hammering nails, holding the ladder, and fluffing red bows.

A few frost bitten fingers and frozen toes later, all the stuff was appropriately tied down (though I suspect one good storm may mean redoing it all!) and we were congratulating each other on a job well done. The lady in charge said someone was bringing a nativity set later, the capstone of the decor. I had gotten to know three ladies I probably wouldn't have met otherwise, watched Drew do his fair share alongside one of his friends and the friend's Dad (not to mention being able to pry him out of bed before noon!), found out a few bits and pieces of school info I hadn't been aware of, and managed to get some exercise in the process. Not a bad deal. Not bad at all.