My favorite straw hat

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. My Dad gave my Mom some flowers (which they bought at the grocery store) and a really cute card. Ray and I borrowed the pickup truck to go help collect donated furniture for a family who lost everything in a fire. I told him it was a loving thing to do. Mary Kelly, for whom Amelia once babysat (the son is in college and the daughter a junior at Clarke Central), had sent out a request for donations...and people with trucks. I don't have any children's clothes to give away, but I do have access to a truck. And I remember being the person trying to get volunteers. So that's what we did with our Saturday.

We had intended to go listen to Mayor Heidi Davidson speak about the economy and Athens, but we both woke up feeling kind of sore and wanting to stay home. Somehow we managed to get the energy to leave by 10 and meet up with Mary and Valerie. We visited several different families who had given generously of perfectly good furnishings to share with someone who had nothing.

Jorge Morales is originally from Puerto Rico. He is in the Navy and is in Athens because of the Navy School. When it closes in less than a year, their family will move to Rhode Island. Rather than take the sectional sofa that was in their TV room, they just went ahead and gave it away now. He credits God with giving and being the reason they give. His two young children were excited to help. He and Ray talked for a long time. The first place he lived in the US was Framingham, Mass. He talked about running out in the snow two days after he arrived, picking it up in his bare hands with no warm clothes, he was so excited.

The first family we visited had 3 sons. The Mom talked about buying shoes for their large feet. She is taking on line classes in Justice Administration. I hope it helps her get a great job.

The Mom we took the things to was very grateful. She still has to have the utilities turned on in her new house. Her 9-year-old son is taking it very hard. They are actually moving next door to the burned-out house. I would think it would be hard to look at every day... One of the good things about this is the child learned how many friends he had at school when they all wanted to help and be sympathetic.

Mary gave us lunch. We enjoyed so much talking to her again, after not being in touch for many years. Her oldest, Nick, is in Hong Kong for a semester. He is loving it. She thinks attending public schools in Athens (with a diverse population) prepared him to adjust well in a new culture. He is learning Cantonese. He has a girlfriend, the love of his life, his Mom says. She is in Italy (?) this semester. They met at College of Charleston. Zara is a very typical teen. when we saw her she was upset because her iPhone didn't work any more. She is a beautiful girl. She and Izzy are no longer best friends. I think Mary is disappointed. Isabel is less concerned about her appearance and having lots of friends. She is more into volunteering. They were inseparable through elementary school and very cute together. Mary encouraged me to apply to work at the school district again. We also talked about Eve some. Mary is friends with Theresa, Eve's Mom. She says Bob and Theresa are remarkable. Theresa said Eve lived a lot in 22 years and she is going to stop being sad and think about that. She got a lot out of reading Amish Grace, a book about the murdered school children, and encourages her friends to read it too. She had left a copy for Mary while we were delivering furniture.

After supper we enjoyed seing Bolt, a refreshingly old-fashioned kind of children's animated movie, with good lessons and none of the silly glib humor that some cartoons use to pander to children.