Contagious, Unconditional Joy

Today I visited Phoenix Children's Hospital to deliver over 300 coloring books and boxes of crayons to hospital's patients. I organized the drive so each child could have their own coloring set during the holiday season. We made stickers that say "This book belongs to" so that everyone could write their name on and it and if lost, it would be returned to the right patient. I'm so thankful that the drive was so successful and that everyone believed in the cause.

Today I relearned a special lesson. Despite these kid's circumstances, they find joy in the simple things. And shouldn't we all be like this?! The entire time I was there, the smile never left my face. I met a very young girl undergoing cancer treatments and regardless of what she was feeling, she took the time to color a picture for me. Her spirit was contagious! She even told me to go to Walmart so that I could get the same furry boots as her! Too cute.

My heart is melted and I'm yearning to volunteer at PCH. Ash, who is a cancer survivor, has volunteered with the hospital for years but I've never been able to witness it first-hand. I'm making a promise to myself that once I return to Phoenix for graduate school, I will dedicate my time and energy to all of these precious kids. It would be phenomenal to volunteer alongside my boyfriend and it would help me to understand what he went through as a 10-year-old with AML Leukemia.

I'm rambling- sorry! I'm just so on fire to volunteer!

Here's a VERY quick video from this morning and a few photos. The video could only be 15 seconds long, hence why we're speaking at lightening speed.

How cute is this little one!?

Alyssa and myself!

Oh and don't worry, I'll blog about the cookie exchange later today! I just wanted to quickly share my heart with you!