Thought Provoking

A couple of things happened this past weekend that made me think.  I don’t know that they are related, particularly, except that they both provoked some thought in the cobwebs of my head.  I’ll tell them in no particular order.

We went to “Bearlesque 2013”, a production of the fine arts department of Northwest High School.  One of our teens invited us (actually, she sold me a couple of tickets) to the show as she and one other teen from our youth group was in the production.

There were about 200 teens that participated overall, and overall, it was a great production and performed well.  The teens were on their best behavior, and there were not a few tears shed when they put up senior pictures on the back screen and introduced each of the seniors that were involved in the production.  This was the last “big deal” for them before graduation.

I couldn’t help but think, however, as I saw all the fresh faces and talented kids, that sadly enough, more than one or two of those kids has been abused in some way; has been neglected in some way; has been put down and denigrated in some way.  If statistics are correct, close to ¼ or more will have had some kind of preventable trauma in their lives at the hand of parents or other adults.  This is one reason, sadly, why we need places like Carpenter Place, which I’ll mention in the next section.

I also couldn’t help but think of the resilience of those young people as they put on a smile, danced and sang (and sometimes played), and performed their best for a very appreciative audience.  I had to wonder where each of them would be in five years; ten years; thirty years.

Second, I saw a FB post Saturday from Jennifer, the house mom for the young adult women at Carpenter Place.  She was looking for someone who could help move a bed mattress and springs for a young woman who was moving out of the Carpenter Place campus and on her own in her own apartment.  I volunteered and shortly thereafter was on my way to help.

I don’t even know the young lady’s name, but she knew me.  She rode with me to her new apartment in order to be able to tell me how to get there.  As we went, I asked her how long she had been at Carpenter Place.  She said, “About a year.”  I also said,  “So, this move is a big deal for you.”  She agreed that it was.

As we moved her rather meager things into the apartment (my pickup with the mattress and springs, and an SUV with her other stuff), I wondered what it would be like for her on her first night in her own place.  She had a job, she said, but no vehicle.  Her possessions consisted of little more than what would fit in a regular bedroom closet, except for the bed.

Yet she was nervous, happy, and probably a little scared at being on her own.  Oh, I know Jennifer will always be available, and so will others.  But it’s a big deal, these kinds of moves, and I pray her safety and God’s hand on her as she makes her way in the world.  I wondered, too about where she would be in five years; ten years; thirty years.  And I was humbled and awed that I could have a small part in the success of these young women as I volunteer from time to time fixing things, hauling things, or just encouraging.

So, those are some of my thoughts this past weekend.  Certainly not earth-shattering to say the least.  But if they provoke some thought within you as they did me, so much the better.