I sit here in the early morning, the sounds of birds and other early risers echoing through my otherwise peaceful living room. Thinking. Always thinking, about life and it’s ebb and flow.
I will soon be preparing myself to go to a high school graduation later today. A high school that I worked at for 5 years. A school that I have invested in, it’s success and the success of some of its students, is something I strove for and take pride in.
So many amazing kids, soon to be adults on their own. I am so proud of the men and women they have become. I also must continue to pray for them. Transitions are hard. I remember myself at this age, scared. Unsure, but also hopeful.
Yet it doesn’t take long before that hope dissolves into the realities of the real world. Many students, myself included at that stage, are ill prepared for that transition.
It is not long before the doubts that have been woven into their psyche start to scream that they are nothing. They will be nothing. There is no point. They are worthless. The echoes of defeat and despair must be silenced with the truth of their purpose.
We must help the youth to resist these thoughts and believe in themselves. Find a young adult to mentor. You might be the one to keep them from making poor choices. I wish someone had done it for me, my life might have turned out differently.
In a few more days I will be attending a funeral for a former student. Amazing artist. Sweet, kind kid who loved his family and cared for others, unlike many teenage kids. My heart hurts for the loss that has been created from his death. It will be felt for eternity. Yet I realize that his story could have been my story, and so many other people that I grew up with.
Life’s ebbs and flows knock us around, so we must learn to be strong and brace ourselves against the waves. Help brace others too. Create a community of support, without it we are sitting ducks.
May god bless you today and give you the strength to bless someone with words of encouragement and hope.
lampinthedarkness 