"I hate you!" I screamed to my brother as I slammed my door shut. Earlier, I was chatting with my friend on the phone when my brother decided to be obnoxious. He started being loud and more annoying, until I lost my patience and went to my room. That evening, I went to "Read To Me" with my school's community service club, Interact. At "Read To Me," we read to less fortunate kids at a homeless shelter, in Phoenix. This was my first time going and I was so excited, I could not stay seated in the bus.
When we finally arrived, I jumped off the bus and entered the shelter quickly. There were books spread out on the tables, such as The Cat in the Hat, and blankets on the floor. I sat on the blanket and listened as we were given the rules and explained what to do. Then, the kids began to come in.
They raced across the room and approached different readers. As I sat waiting, a little boy dragged his feet toward me and sat down next to me. I looked at him; he was starring and his hands and nervously playing with them. I introduced my self with a smile and waited for him to say something, but he just starred at me like a scared puppy. Then he softly whispered "Hi," to me. I asked him to pick a book that he wanted me to read to him, so he got up and searched. He quickly found one and handed it to me. As I read to him, he quietly sat next to me gazing at the pictures. I was halfway done with the book when the boy's sister came over and asked him for a hug, but he refused. Instead, he handed her a Rugrat book and told her that if she read the whole book on her own, then he would give her a hug. she was only 5 years old.
Watching her try, so hard, to read the book, I realized patience is the key to success and that i needed to have more patience with my brothers. I was sitting there, watching, her read the book, and waiting for her to give up, but she didn't. Second lesson learned: Never give up without trying. As she struggled to read the book, I could tell she truly cared about her brother and loved him.
About 20 minutes later, she finally finished. She hadn't read every word correctly, but she had tried her best, so her brother gave her a hug, and she was as happy as a clam. I asked the boy why he had made his sister read the book instead of giving her a hug, and he explained top me how he wanted her to learn to read and be as educated as she possibly could, to be successful in life. Later, I found out that they had no parents. They were homeless kids without parents. And I realized that he was taking the responsibility of looking out for his sister at such a young age. It helped me learn to appreciate what I have because not everyone has the same opportunities or things that I take for granted everyday.
She taught me to never give up and to work hard for what I want and that hard work will be rewarded. He taught me to appreciate and take care of what i have.