I accompanied my friend one evening to the shelter where she performs her community service. Her job was to play with the children who lived there. When she first told me, I was kind of excited, although I had no idea what to expect.

As we walked in, the building looked more like an office than a home. It had a long hallway with offices off to the sides. As we proceeded, we came to a kitchen where five children started jumping up and down at the sight of us. The mothers were even excited, but, of course, they were not jumping up and down.

Our job that evening was to help them make some cupcakes. We got all the ingredients and started right in. We were all having so much fun. When the mixing was done and we put them in the oven, we went into the living room and drew pictures. These children seemed like regular kids. They joked and at this point, they had a home.

Quickly the time came for us to leave; I did not want to. Believe it or not, we were having a ball. We finally said our good-byes and left.

On our way home, my friend's mother suggested we order pizza and rent some movies. I realized how much I took for granted - how much I had that they didn't. I was only there for one hour and it had an affect on my thoughts. I could only imagine the thoughts the children have who live there. fl