
Once the food is perfectly cooked the team quickly begins to serve, starting with the youngest children as always. Despite the obvious poverty of so many of these children, their smiles are gloriously sweet and contain such innocence. There is a vibrancy, a sparkle of the divine in their joyousness. I feel awestruck to be surrounded by such purity, such beauty, and all else no longer matters. It is at this time that I am privileged to briefly experience the real wealth of life, the blessings of the divine.
As each classroom finishes their food, they take their trash to the bins Just One has provided, and it is time to leave for their families. Although in a hurry to leave, they are disciplined and many offer signs of respect for the meal they have just received from Just one and Sai Maa. Even so their speed quickens as they get closer to the front gate.
As the school empties, silence gradually creeps in and then it is only the cooks, the Just One team and the teachers remaining in the school ground. In this relative silence, we can even hear the slight warm wind blowing through the school yard - such a contrast to the joyous chatter of the children. On leaving the teachers offer their gratitude to Sai Maa and the Just One program. This is almost a ritual at each visit by Just One, but each time the authenticity of this gratitude shines through in their faces and their voices. It is such a gift.