Here is a story that I submitted to Reedsy’s Writing Prompts Contest! I hope you all enjoy it.

Ms. Volunteer

Living overseas can be a challenge. Especially when you live in a country you are unfamiliar with for three years because your husband is serving in the armed forces. Ms. Elena knew what she signed up for when she walked down the aisle five years previously in a small church just outside her hometown. This is the military life, and I will do everything I can to support our family while we are here.

Ms. Elena loved challenges, and she also loved to help people. There were many times that she would go out of her way to take food to hungry strangers, shelter women because they were domestically abused, or open her home to military families because the spouse had to leave early to comply with military orders.

Over a year into her current stay, she felt the urge to help again. How can she make everyone happy while at the same time serving her country like her husband was doing without going into the armed forces? Suddenly, a fantastic idea came to her.

“Everyone is getting prepared for the holidays, which are a couple of months away, and since we are in a foreign country, many service members and their families will depend on Christmas packages, cards, and letters from their loved ones at home to make their holidays.”

“That is it!!”

“I will volunteer at the military post office.”

“Helping people out would make them happy, which is always my calling!”

Eager to start, she got up early the following day and rode with her husband to his work because the post office was only a few blocks away. After arriving, Ms. Elena peaked at the door to see if anyone was there. Seeing an attendant at the counter, she asked to speak to someone about volunteering for the upcoming holiday season. The attendant pointed to the person in charge, who was in the back sorting out the daily mail after the trucks arrived earlier that morning.

Ms. Elena approached him and asked if she could help, especially with the holidays approaching. The boss was happy to see her because he needed more help than ever. However, Ms. Elena would have to fill out paperwork to make it official and ensure that she understood that it was just on a volunteer basis, with no pay or salary involved. Ms. Elena was very excited about the arrangement, and she filled out the paperwork right away and gave it to the boss.

Of course, working at the post office would not be easy, and she had many things to learn. She teamed up with another volunteer and the team lead to learn the ropes. First was unloading the mail from the trucks during the morning run. Next was separating the letters and cards from the packages. Afterward, the letters and cards were divided into sections according to the mailboxes’ location. Then came filling out cards indicating to the recipients that a package had arrived for them. Afterward, the mail, cards, and package notifications were distributed to the individual mailboxes. To Ms. Elena, this was one of the fun parts of the day because she knew that someone was going to be very happy to find something special in their mailbox; she loved distributing the mail just like the Grinch spread the mail during the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas especially when Mr. Grinch was throwing mail into the Whoville post office  boxes while saying “jury duty, jury duty, jury duty, junk mail, pink slip, eviction notice etc.”

However, the most satisfying part of the day, which made Ms. Elena’s day, was watching the service members and families opening their mailboxes and seeing the Christmas cards, letters, and package notifications. It was great watching their eyes light up, smiles come to their faces, and their spirits light up because of what was in the mailbox. Ms. Elena enjoyed being at the front counter, taking the notifications, and getting the packages for the customers. It was awesome watching the children jumping up and down in excitement because they knew there were Christmas gifts in those boxes even though they knew they couldn’t open them up until Christmas morning.

Even though it brought great satisfaction to Ms. Elena putting the Christmas Cards, letters, and package notifications in the mailboxes, one of the other things that she loved to do was to assist in delivering packages, notes, and cards to the loved ones at home in the United States. Ms. Elena was more than happy to make sure each of the gifts had exceptional care and to ensure the senders did not worry because the post office will do everything in their power to ensure all will be delivered safely and have a great Christmas.

Ms. Elena loved volunteering so much that she stayed several months after the Christmas season to help where she could. The joy of seeing people’s faces when they picked up their mail was because she knew how a letter or a card would bring happiness to those in receipt.

In the late spring, it was time for her and her husband to return to the United States to a new duty station. During her last week at the Post Office, her boss and the team had a special going away luncheon in her honor to thank her for all the help and joy that she brought to everyone during her time there. After the luncheon, the boss presented her with a gift, a certificate, and a trophy, symbolizing his and the team’s appreciation for Ms. Elena for her time there. An inscription on the award said, “A special thanks to Ms. Elena for all her time and efforts in making the Post Office a better place to work.” Thank you very much, Ms. Volunteer!!