So I have this kid.....

Today I had a visit from my "jack"......he brought his precious two year old to visit me. He's looking at going away for 3-6 years so he came to say goodbye.

And it was sad....because for so long, I was the giving tree.

The Giving Tree is one of my favorite books but it's so sad.

Here's something I wrote years ago about "jack"

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Let's call him "Jack". Jack is a kid that I met shortly after I started at the Chandler club......Every so often, a kid grabs my heart and I see true potential. A kid that is a little lost in the crowd and just needs someone to help point them in the right direction. A kid that LOVES the club and wants to spend every waking moment there, truly calling it a home. That's this kid.

Now my experience with these kids has always been the same.........I invest the time and the energy and do whatever I need to do to help them (meet with parents, talk to parol officers, call teachers, help with homework, buy them a pair of shoes or a cup of noodles, you name it!) However no matter what I do, I am always left with disappointment at some point because hey, they are teens, right? They disappoint. They fail a class or get arrested or get in a fight or run away or whatever. Then the parents and I meet again, sometimes parents just need someone to cry to or talk to or vent to and we start all over again.

I never loose hope...........no matter what happens. I don't know what it is about a kid that grabs my heart this way but it does...........I can name the 6 times this has happened to me IN MY ENTIRE CAREER and yet I still feel that each and every one of them is a success no matter what they choose in life. I always believe.

Sometimes they turn out amazing and you get to go to their wedding and see them graduate from college (I love those moments!!!) Sometimes, the smaller victories like passing the science class or getting a complement from a parent because the kid is doing well.....those are just as important.

Okay, so back to my "jack"...........so he tells me today he would rather "hang with his homies" then volunteer at the club anymore....and it's not like his friends are scholars or sitting on the mayors youth advisory panel.......they are smoking pot, not attending school, etc. And just those few words made me want to burst out crying because it's going to take this kid falling down before he begins to start believing in himself and realize he's not making the best decision.

Anyway, I am rambling..........once I had a kid tell me that I was like the teacher in the movie Dangerous Minds. I think that's hysterical because I have never had a kid to my house, much less spend the night or take them to dinner by myself in my car but whatever....I get the idea.

Anyway, i thought that was a complement.

I truly hope Jack stays focused........he loves the club so much and he's come so far, he could be sitting in my chair someday..........

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean.""I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one!"