My Wish...Our Wish!
On one hand there was a sense of fulfillment while on the other there was a sense of loneliness, a feeling of being isolated or an outcast of some sort or another.
I never had a mentor per-se and I really never really knew what a mentor was until I was stationed in Whidbey Island, Washington and I had free time on my hands. I went to the Child Protective Services and befriended one of the counselors who in turn introduced me to this foster child, a troubled boy who, like me in my past just wanted somebody to share time and discussions with.
That one day made all the difference although it wouldn't be realized until some 15 years later after I retired and became the Youth Pastor at a local church in Ventura, California.
The youth that was a part of my ministry were all military dependents and needed a clean and wholesome outlet. We grew from a body of 3 to 30 in a couple of weeks and I felt things couldn't get any better.
We spent two days per week together. We planned events and outings and for the most part it was great from a religious standpoint. It wasn't until one evening when this one teen asked if he could talk with me, alone and I obliged.
He revealed some problems therein his home and among people he knew and all I can do is listen and offer the best advice I can give. He really didn't need the advice and probably didn't care to hear it, he just wanted to be heard...to vent.
Years later, this individual graduated with honors and then graduated from college. He contacted me awhile after and one of the most profound things he told me was
"I remember our talks and the time you spent with me, counseling me, joking around and making me think of alternatives. Those were the things that pushed me forward. Those were the times that I reflected on when I would be in similar situations or feeling the same deep seated level of emotions and stress.
You left an impact on me which in turn I have reaped my own personal successes."
Touching as it may seem, there is one thought that comes to mind...who would he have talked with if I wasn't there or didn't care to give him but a few minutes of my time? Where would he have been and how much would he have accomplished?
I don't think I did much of anything, I think he was given the only thing I could afford then and that was my time.
My wish...our wish, is that more people will...
Make A Difference - be that Difference Maker!
