Sign Me Up

(disclaimer--these are not any kids I've worked with--just a random Google images picture)

Every once in a while, something unexpected "happens" at work that shines a brighter light of reality on exactly what it is we do. Over the years, I've experienced my share of these happenings so perhaps I have a thicker skin (or bigger faith?) when scarier things occur. We had one such "happening" at work this week and it had some folks pretty shaken (rightly so). And not that we don't try to analyze these situations and find solutions to keep us all safe and more aware, but the bottom line come back to this: We work with street kids. We work with juvenile offenders and adult offenders. We work with gang members. We work with kids who have guns, brass knuckles, knives, and other weapons. We work with kids who have shot, maimed, assaulted other peoples moms, dads, children, and their own. We work with kids who steal, vandalize, plot, harass, and swindle. We work with kids who have no place to live. We work with kids who started having kids at 14, 15, 16. We work with kids who only know how to express how they feel by saying f**k, d**n, s**t, and every other such word. We work with kids who think it's normal to take from someone else, lie to save their skin, smoke weed every day, and collect from the government instead of working. I could go on and on.

This is what I signed up for 14+ years ago. Working with these kids is not always going to be safe or nice or easy. And I don't mean to imply that every kid fits into one of the descriptions above but many of them do. What I tried to remind the staff is that they signed up to serve these kids. And to love them. Period. Is there risk? Absolutely. But this is what you signed up for. Same as if you go into the army or become a police officer, work in a jail, etc. I'm sure the folks at the Mission aren't surprised if they come home covered in scabies--they work in a shelter. It comes with the territory.

When I learned about the scary happening this week I can honestly say I had no fear, at least not for my safety. For my kids, yes. But that's me. I'd always place the value of the kids lives before mine any day. It's what I signed up for.