I met a young woman a number of years ago who had made some wrong choices in her path of life. Not unlike most of us. Our choices determines which direction we will travel and how our lives are formed. I remember this young lady well. They say that when one works in a group setting, it is not fair to have favorites. Unfortunately, we are all human and no matter how professional ones tries to be, the human side is usually stronger. Since that time, I have watched this young lady make good choices. She is in school and she has a beautiful family. Her spirit is strong, her path determined and her dreams are being realized. And I am proud of her.
For many of these young people, they do not know nor do they understand that there is a purpose of life for them. When faced with cyclic episodes of trauma, when trust has been destroyed and when the choice has been made easy by the numbing effect of drugs and alcohol, their path is not visible.
“My mother is a drunk and a drug addict. My dad is in recovery but we have grown distant. I remember when I was about 7, my mother left me to take care of my younger brothers and sisters when she disappeared on the weekends. We had very little food to eat and we were hungry most of the time.” She spoke as she stared through the dirty glass window to places known only to her.
“As I grew, I became part of the problem. The drugs and alcohol were easy to find and the violence and emptiness became normal to us. I have lost family and friends to drugs and alcohol. So many young people wanting something they do not know how to find. It is sad.”
This one also found her strength and created a world where she is successful.
There is always hope if these young people can be shown that they, each one of them, owns unique gifts and that they are important. Not only to themselves and to the whole.
