Ailana’s Journal—2026-04-21 (Patreon)

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GOOD MORNING

As usual, there are a lot of things going on around here. Primarily, today is about a giveback outing to a food pantry in San Benito, part of the Brownsville-Harlingen metropolitan area.

But there are other things happening, too. Already this morning, we’ve been shooting text messages back and forth.

Josh and Geoni had to back out of the trip to the food pantry. They are taking a call to set up a couple of adoption meetings.

Let me backtrack a couple of months. Adoption is complicated. They’ve done a lot of work to first get approved by Texas as adoptive parents and then move through the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC). Call that the short version…

Anyway, they’re making steady progress. The call today is to set up a few face-to-face meetings with the hope of wrapping it all up (finally!) in a month or so.

But the rest of us are heading to San Benito to put in some time at the San Benito Food Pantry.

That’s the plan. See you once we get there!

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SAN BENITO FOOD PANTRY

I want to take a moment to share a little about the San Benito Food Pantry, because places like this quietly hold communities together.

We came over today to help sort donations. This kind of volunteering is something I think anyone could do, and almost every community has a food bank of some sort.

The San Benito Food Pantry exists to help individuals and families in the San Benito area who are facing food insecurity. It’s part of a broader network of local churches, volunteers, and donors who believe that no one should have to wonder where their next meal is coming from. Like many community food pantries, it likely began with a small group of people simply responding to a need—neighbors helping neighbors—and grew over time as that need became more visible.

Today, it serves by collecting, organizing, and distributing donated food to people who need it most. Volunteers sort items, prepare boxes, and welcome people with dignity and care. It’s not just about food—it’s about stability, kindness, and showing up for each other in real ways.

Being there, even briefly, you can feel that sense of purpose in the room.

I know it’s been a while since I’ve taken part in a giveback activity. It’s easy to let things stand between us and the things we know are important. Looking back, we should have done something like this sooner. We’ve been back from our coastal cruise long enough.

I hope today’s outing was meaningful to you. And I hope you can find time to help your own community in some way.

I’ll be back tonight, so see you then.

CHANGE OF SCHEDULE by Emily Amos

Who ever knows how things will turn out? School’s out on May 22, and originally, I figured it would be a couple of weeks after that before what I’m thinking comes next could happen. I thought it would have to wait a few weeks until like the second week of June.

Now, something has changed, so maybe I can get on with my life a little earlier than I planned. I’ll just have to wait and see, but I’m about ready to escape.

My mom is getting weirder and weirder. I don’t even know…

“Why do you sleep in socks? That’s bad for you, you know.”

Mind blown, I said, “First off, I don’t always sleep in socks. Second, how is it bad? Who says that? And why do you even care?”

“Why do you always talk back? If I say it’s bad, it’s bad.”

“You’re crazy,” I said. “Just leave me alone for once.”

She went back to her room, but like…what?

Anyway, moving on… One more month of school. May 22 can’t come soon enough, but really, I’ll miss Ms. Keys, my English teacher. She’s the best thing that’s happened to me this year.

Thanks for all the encouraging words. It helps me keep going.

GOOD NIGHT

The day has come to an end and I have to say I’m satisfied with all we did. The work we did meant a lot to the people we were helping. For us, it was a reminder that we are all able to do little things that add up to big outcomes.

That’s one of the many things I say frequently: If everyone did a little, a lot would get done! A lot of little things add up, so when a lot of people give time or resources, the world can change.

One box of green beans at a time…

Thank you for thinking about that idea. If you want to share ways we can do little things that help others, please do! Drop a comment that might help others get ideas about ways to give back in their own communities.

Tomorrow, we’ll be sending Josh and Geoni off for a couple of stops to meet possible young people for adoption placement. Let me say this up front. There are privacy and respect concerns here, so neither they nor I are going to give a report about who they meet or what they think.

Can you imagine a report like this: “We met this girl named Sally but we didn’t like her very much, so, hard pass on that one.”

And let’s be honest, no matter how nicely you say it, if a potential match doesn’t work out, not getting picked still feels like a “no.”

If you don’t believe me, ask Jasmine. She had seven “no”s to deal with.

So, I’ll just say that they are going. Eventually, there will be a match. When that happens, they will let us know.

But no… there won’t be a play-by-play or color commentary on each of the meetings they have. And by no means will there be names.

After their meetings, they’re going to drop in on Josh’s family in Chicago, then meet us in St. Louis on Monday night.

That’s all for today.

May you find the time, resources, and energy to share what you have with those who need it. May you and your efforts be blessings to those around you.

Good night.

Be your best you!

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