Reflections

Since October, since I last wrote, and since I officially gave up the work that provided a lot of the material for this blog, I've been counting my blessings. I've been trying to figure out where to go from where I was. And where my priorities really lie.
And I'm working on that...
Last week, we took 12 former teen members out to dinner. It was amazing. We spent more than 3 hours together. Just going around the table, and having everyone update us all on what they're doing took a long time.
But it was incredibly cool. For the first time, I shared a little bit more about me - I talked about my grandfather and grandmother, both of whom I miss greatly. I showed them a ribbon that my grandfather wore in his lapel, identifying him as having been knighted. And the young woman sitting next to me said, "So the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." I didn't have a response. I'd never thought of it like that.
Each young person (because really, they aren't teens any more) was so comfortable with themselves. And hearing what they're all doing, what each of them are upto and how they are each trying to figure out what their dreams are was awesome. And they're not intimidated by one another - which is so important to me.
Two days after the dinner, I met up with a couple of the younger teens (the ones who ARE still teens). I was just helping them fill out some forms, and it wasn't going to take long. But then we ended up chatting for a while in the FREEZING cold. And the conversation was good. They were honest with me about a few things that they hadn't been able to tell me before. And they talked about how much the teen group had meant to them.
And I realized, despite what I thought, the group had a bigger impact on each of them than I thought. It WAS a safe space. It was everything I wanted it to be - focused on the youth, and not on the adults leading them.
And so, as I close that chapter for good, I hope the teens understand that they've been just as important to me, as I have to them. I'm grateful that never changed...