Reminders

Had a tough day today...before 8:30am (I'd been at work since 7:25am) I had to suspend 2 students...then deal with all the "What is the right thing to do?" stuff...what is best for these students, the program, their good and growth. I know these kinds of days are part of the package and part of being the "leader" of this program but still...the decisions we make can impact a student a lot deeper than we think ( positively or negatively). I still ache over a decision made last year that resulted in a student I was very close to putting me in a deep freeze...and I pray every morning that his/her heart will continue to defrost and thaw and recognize that the decision made was for his/her good and growth. Small Providential occurances have confirmed that these prayers are being heard...

So when I got home I finally downloaded some pictures that had been in my camera...and I came up w/ shots from Valentines Day. We ended official programming early and then spent an hour just hanging out, playing cards, making VDay cards for loved ones, and enjoying a staff prepared buffet of homemade treats. The mood was light, kids were relaxed, we joked, we laughed, we deepened relationships...

I paused a moment before snapping the shot of the kids at the table snagging treats (homemade sweets and rice and beans--they loved it!) I said,"Yay! Here we are at YouthBuild on Valentines Day! Yay community!" and they posed with their smiles, their hand signs (which I try not to look too closely at), and their joy of just enjoying time w/ staff and each other.

That's what makes the hard days bearable...knowing that I can grab the kid in the picture above and say,"Smile!" and he'll take a picture w/ ol' Ms. Jen...knowing that there are students that have bought in to what we are trying to build here--community, relationship, absolute respect and unconditional love...That whatever their hell is at home, it keeps them coming back day after day to a group of people who have chosen to invest in their lives. Will everyone "get it"? No...and sadly, I have come to realize that we can't save everyone and some must be pruned for new growth to occur...But it's the flourishing branches that keep me excited about returning day after day...and committing to being there for them for the duration.