St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church of Picayune held its community appreciation lunch Wednesday to recognize those who serve the community.

It was pleasing to see everyone, be it those from the police department, fire department or city employees who work in different roles altogether, come together and unwind with a bowl of gumbo, bread, salad and dessert.

But there was something else that caught my attention, while I attended this event.

It was the children of St. Charles Catholic School. As I watched those young children trot across the room placing stickers on the hands of these workers, they thanked them for their service to the community. The children also served each employee food the moment they stepped into the event and refilled their plates with more when they came across an empty bowl.

As I watched these children express their appreciation, it made me think about the values that are instilled in each of us. It is those positive values that can take you further in life and help you appreciate something as simple as a free lunch served by joyful school children.

And that could be one of the driving forces that led to our city’s employees eagerly attending this event. Because while they knew a free meal was at hand, it was evident that the employees enjoyed the spirit of those children just as much.

It reminded me of a time when I participated in a similar event where appreciation was shown to those who make our community a safer and better place to live but in the end it was those individuals who were inspired by the young children.

In the hour I spent there, I left rather content seeing that I’m not the only one who learned to appreciate people who don’t receive recognition during the year, these young children also learned the important role that these members of our society play.