It Can Be Messy, September 3 Daily Reflection

The Recycle Trailer

“Mom this is so dirty and messy do we really have to do this?” asked my oldest son

“Not everything we do for God is clean and neat. Yes, we have to do this.” I replied

This is the recycle trailer that I have used on campus for the past 5 years all year long. I voluntarily coordinate a recycle program for our school and parish called HOPE – Help Our Planet Earth. The children bring in newspapers from home. Each classroom has 2 recycle boxes; one used for newspapers the other for white papers, school papers etc. Once a week the kids bring their boxes to the trailer and I dump them into the correct box. Twice a month before and after Church we have volunteers collect papers, cans, magazines etc. So far we have made over $8,000 in 5 years that has gone straight back to the school in forms of student scholarships towards tuition.  Because I coordinate the program if a shift has not been filled my children and I work the trailer; crushing cans, unloading papers from parish member’s cars and dividing the papers into the correct boxes. I am dealing with trash that can be recycled to save space in today’s dumps.  If anyone is interested in the program I have created email me. I have a detailed report on how it works and how to set it up in your Church/School (and of course it is free).

It stinks and is very hot in that trailer. The cans we crush are nasty and usually wet. The bags of newspapers are heavy and we have to use our muscles and sweat. That is all just fine with me because what I am doing is for God to honor His earth and preserve it. It’s only one school, one Church, one neighborhood but it is 400 different children that learn how to recycle each year, forming habits for a lifetime; habits that will aid them in caring for the earth.

We teach our children so many lessons in this life from how to say please and thank you, to how to love.  Everything we do and say sets an example for how they will or will not live as they grow older. It’s good to show them it’s important to be ok with dealing with trash and serving our earth.  If the only service we do for God is writing a check to a Church/Organization how will they learn to serve hands on in this life? Get out there and find a way to serve God that they can help you with even if you will get messy.

“Because not everything we do for God is neat and clean.”