I believe that when helping others you receive the best gift of all. When volunteering you grow as a member of the community, nation, world, and human being. The growth you receive from volunteering is like a tree. You start out as a seed. A seed within you is planted from birth. Not everyone decides to grow their seed at the same time but when they do a light is lit inside of them. A light that sprouts the tree on a path of devotion and a life full of gifts. Gifts that fall from the tree that you have grown inside of you. When you are volunteering at a local food bank, a church, nursing home, hospital, or anywhere else, your tree grows inside of you. Making new branches of experience and the knowing that you have helped to work to make someone else’s life better comes from volunteering and the branches you are making. Each branch grows over time keeping a place in your heart. A significant branch on my tree was going to Tennessee for Habitat for Humanity. On that branch there are many other branches from it. One branch from Tennessee holds memories for a lifetime. While we were in Tennessee we were working on 4 houses in Maryville. When we were done working for the day we decided to also volunteer at a local soup kitchen. Here we would greet the people in need and help them find a seat. After they sat down we got them food and drinks for them but the special part about this night was we were aloud to sit down and eat with them; have conversations and get to know them. I had tables 32 and 33. I sat down at table 32 because 33 was the table for the late group coming on the bus. Table 32 had 4 adults; 1 man and 3 women, and a kid who was in and out of the gym in which we were serving at. I sat down and started talking to the people. I learned that there was a couple that were the mother and father of the boy who was running about. As I talked to the couple I could tell in their voices that they were a family full of hope and joy. They said they lived in a homeless shelter for 3 years and that it was extremely hard on their family. They were proud of their son that he had stayed strong for them and helped them as much as he could. After a long talk at dinner I had to go because my next table was coming in. she said to me, “thank you so much for helping all of us down here. If there weren’t people like you in the world I wouldn’t be here today. Thank you for making my life better and feeding my family tonight. Thank you.” As I listened to her she spoke softly and I started to think. This woman helped me more than I was helping her. She opened my eyes to real world and showed me that even the simplest of things as just a conversation could help her and her family. I gave her a meaningful hug and let her know how much I appreciated her and everything she had taught me. She let me know that when I helped them I got a bigger gift in return helping myself grow as a person for the better. As she left I felt bad that I didn’t even know her last name, but as I was getting the food for my next table I saw the woman running back into the gym and she handed me a 'hello my name is’ tag and there she put Tommy Finger and his cell phone number on it, that was her son. As she ran off I started to giggle, not only did I get a wonderful gift from this woman but I also got a good story to tell my kids in the future. This I just one branch off of another. There are so many branches to be grown within to show for what you have learned and what you have received from helping others. As you help others your grow more within yourself. You see the world for what it is and you learn to never take anything for granted. There is never a limit to how big your tree can get. The tree of giving with all the gifts you have received from helping others is a beautiful remembrance of what you have done and what others have done for you. If you take the time to help those in need you will grow more on the inside. Helping others, helps yourself. I believe that when helping others you receive the best gift of all.