The bus came to a head jerking halt as Mr. Waters was about to pass the Home Base Youth Shelter here in Phoenix. Mr. Waters made a U turn in our small white bus, so that we would be right in front of the building. When I first saw the shelter, I didn’t think it was a shelter because it looked more like brand new apartments that were barely built. As soon as Mr. Waters parked the bus, he yelled, “Okay, we’re here!” Each one of us slowly got off the bus one by one. The cool cold air brushed against my cheeks as I stepped off the bus. All of us rushed to the front of the shelter ready to take on our tasks for the evening.

As we walked into the kitchen area of one of the buildings we received a greeting from one of the employees, the kitchen looked like a kitchen that belonged in a fancy restaurant because of all the pots and pans that were stacked in neat piles on the racks. Mr. Waters pulled out all the items that were needed in order to complete the recipe that was already picked out for dinner. Mr. Waters to me looked like a fancy chef due to his impressive ability to hold all the silverware, and not drop a single one. My hands were just itching to get started on cooking the meal for the teens.

Once we were given our tasks, we split into groups and began preparing the food. My group and I were assigned to getting the potatoes ready for the oven, and putting the salad together. When we finally finished preparing the food, one of the people in charge of the program let us take a tour of the building. We were able to view the rooms that the teens lived in, and some of the teens explained why they were there. The people that run the building explained to us what they did for the teens in order to get them ready for being on their own. The employees would help the teens that were a certain age find a job.

After our tour, we went back to the kitchen, and we began preparing the plates. “Come on and eat you guys! The food is done, and tell the others to get over here too!” shouted the worker that gave us the tour of the building. Suddenly, all the teens that were there at the time rushed through the doors into the dining room area. They all gathered in a neat single file line to get their plates. As they received their plate of food, each one of them said, “Thank you so much for taking the time to do this for us today.” All of us returned their thank yous with, “Oh, you guys are welcome and it was no trouble to do this for you.” These small signs of appreciation had so much feeling held within them that it made me finally see that I should be thankful for everything in my life. Also, that I should not ever take anything for granted because it might not always be there.

I loved the feeling that I got when I received all the thank yous from all the teens. The feeling was so heart-warming that it made me want to do more and more for them. All their bright smiles were filled with so much appreciation, and it helped unleash an amazing feeling in me.