Another one of my boys graduated this week and went home to be reintegrated into his home. UGH! Goodbyes suck, and in my line of work very frequent. I confess there is a numbness growing in me when it comes to goodbyes. There is a part of me that has come to accept it. There is a twisted irony in the fact that I grew up believing (and fearing) that everyone was going to leave me. Then I took a job specializing in that reality. Haha!
Even so it's hard to say goodbye, but the beauty of it is knowing that you got to be a part of someone's life for a brief span of time; in that time I got to watch a young man grow, mature, to work through hard life issues, and to become something stronger than he was before his arrival. Be able to walk alongside someone as God helps pull them out of the muck and mire is inspiring.
I saw my student come alive. I also saw him struggle and ask hard questions; dealing with the turmoils of being a teenager. I grew form my time with him. I processed more of my world as I was able to engage with what he went through and he endured. For that, I am forever grateful. I learn a lot from my students in the time they are with me, and the fact is that with every "goodbye" I there is a "hello" soon to follow. With that "hello" will come more learning, more processing, and a new opportunity for me to walk alongside Christ is His loving of these teens. And that makes every "goodbye" completely worth it.
Grace and Peace,
Stephen
Even so it's hard to say goodbye, but the beauty of it is knowing that you got to be a part of someone's life for a brief span of time; in that time I got to watch a young man grow, mature, to work through hard life issues, and to become something stronger than he was before his arrival. Be able to walk alongside someone as God helps pull them out of the muck and mire is inspiring.I saw my student come alive. I also saw him struggle and ask hard questions; dealing with the turmoils of being a teenager. I grew form my time with him. I processed more of my world as I was able to engage with what he went through and he endured. For that, I am forever grateful. I learn a lot from my students in the time they are with me, and the fact is that with every "goodbye" I there is a "hello" soon to follow. With that "hello" will come more learning, more processing, and a new opportunity for me to walk alongside Christ is His loving of these teens. And that makes every "goodbye" completely worth it.
Grace and Peace,
Stephen
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