A room full of young kids filled with energy and spirit was not what I was expecting when I first visited Abode Services (a homeless shelter) over a year ago. Instead, I had anticipated to see children with all their spirit crushed and barely any energy. I had incorrectly assumed that the tragedies that these kids had been through would have taken over their personalities and completely shattered them. I was proven to be wrong- the children were the most joyous people I had ever met.

The first time I visited Abode Services, it took some time for the children to get used to a new face. However, soon enough, I knew the names of all the children there and more than half of them knew my name. Being able to experience the kids' positive attitudes every time I visited the shelter provided me with a new outlook on life. The poem I wrote expresses much of what I feel thinking about the children. All of the kids manage to have smiles on their faces through the roughest of times. Each one of them is a brave, little soldier in his or her own way.

I often wonder how the horrific tragedies that have taken place in each of their lives affect their behavior and how their brains interpret things differently than someone with an easier life. After a few visits to Abode Services, the kids opened up to me of their own accord, and a lot of them shared heartbreaking stories about their lives. Abode Services is the place that provided these destitute youth with shelter, love, and care in their time of need. The up-beat environment that this organization provides the kids with has a positive impact on the children’s lives. I love to visit these kids to play different games with them and to cheer them up. Tutoring them is also something I look forward to because the children have a keen desire to learn. They know that if they do well in school, they can make a future for themselves. Volunteering some of my own personal time to bring joy into the lives of these underprivileged kids has in reality brought a lot of warmth into my heart and more cheer into my own life. Working with these little kids and sometimes even talking to their parents has taught me to have a positive attitude on life because someone out there has it way worse than I do.