“Have a Blessed Day.” It’s a phrase we hear many times each Tuesday from our shoppers along with thank you; it’s a phrase we understand. It comes with smiles, we smile back because we really do understand what it means to the seniors living on fixed incomes with medical bills, to the families who can’t stretch incomes far enough, to the students choosing between education and food, to the newly housed with new responsibilities, to the homeless with nowhere to go and no money for anything. The Table means fresh vegetables and fruit. It means cooking lessons and volunteers stepping up to explain what to do with an unfamiliar vegetable. It means words of comfort and reassurance.
It also means books for children who are hungry to learn but don’t get to the library and can’t afford to go to a bookstore. I often get to walk around the tables carrying babies while their parents and grandparents shop. This past week I walked with a grandmother, her daughter, 4-year old grandson and his baby sister. While mom and grandma shopped, Addison tried to coax the 4-year-old to look at books. He was very shy, and no amount of persuasion worked–until I spotted the Superman shirt he was wearing and asked Addie to find a book with a superhero. Eyes averted and head down, he finally accepted a Star Wars book. Once outside walking to the car, his head came up, a smile crept in and skipping started; the book was held up for all to see. His final action before getting in the car was to ask me to watch him run–to see how fast he was. I surely had a blessed day!
