Recently, I went to lunch with some ladies from work. We went to a local Chinese restaurant for their amazing buffet. One table over from us was a group of high school students who had early release from school. They were laughing and talking and just generally enjoying life. I have to admit, I was listening in on their conversation just a little. It's what I do. I love listening in on the conversation teenagers have. Today they were discussing their finals. I couldn't help myself, I looked over, smiled at them all and asked how they thought they did on their exams. To which I recieved a chorus of "great" and "horrible". This was followed by more laughter, which I happily joined them in.
This small encounter gave me a "buzz". I love spending time with youth. I love their all out joy at everything. They experience life in the moment, not worrying about what will be coming next or what the next hour has to bring. Everything in their life is right now. That's not the case with all youth. There are many youth who struggle every day, wondering what's coming next. When will the next punch happen? When will the next meal be? How much of a meal will that next meal be? This one experience is causing me to question what I can do to help those youth that don't know where the next meal will be coming from.
If you are asking the same question, please take the time to seek out organizations that support children and youth in crisis.
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