Toddlers serving

Whether you support Heifer International or not, there is a tiny article in the most recent issue about 2 & 3 year olds in TX (and their parents) helping to dig up sweet potatoes for local food banks. Yes, the children have shovels in hand. They are doing the work of digging up the sweet potatoes.

I thought, what a great example of meaningful work, meaningful* service for some very little people. Not just meaningful for the recipients of the food but for the children and because they are working with their parents they are growing that relationship. Because they are working with other families they are growing friendships and a sense of community among themselves and a sense of giving to a much larger, even marginalized community beyond themselves. And hey, guess what! They are also growing a relationship with the natural God - created world: the outdoors, the ground, air & weather, plants, probably insects and animals, too. How cool is that?

And frankly, if you back up a little, children that small can help with planting, watering and weeding, too. Lots of experiential concrete learning going on digging in the dirt, lol!!

*Is this "meaningful" the same as what is meaningful to someone 20, 30, 40 or 50? No, but tiny meaning-filled seeds are growing.