The Power and Beauty of Youth

- Yes, That Is A Gummi Bear On The Train Window -

Teenagers are amazing critters. Exhausting, yes, but fascinating, engaging, and dynamic as well. 

Today is a recovery day. This past weekend I had the opportunity [no sarcasm in the phrase this time] to take the Youth Group I work with into New York for a 30 hour, whirlwind of a road/rail trip. Five youth, two parents, and me. It all added  up to one heck of a good time.

We cruised up and down Manhattan on the subway, guided fearlessly by a former partner in crime, and got only minimally lost or turned around. The kids chatted up and served food to homeless folks on the upper west side like pros. We cruised by the Statue of Liberty on the Staten Island Ferry, walked wall street, and shot up to the top of Rockefeller Center for the best view of the city possible. [Better even than the Empire State Building because from on top of the rock you can see the aforementioned Empire State Building light up at night] There was greasy pizza with prosciutto on passover, the big screen in Times Square, and the Toys-R-Us ferris wheel too! And that was just Saturday . . .

Seeing the city for the first time through their eyes was great. Watching kids' faces as they totally geek-out about something is always a sight to behold. From a line of hundreds of port-o-potties to coke bottles worn on top of the head, the world is always filled with wonder and delight. It is amazing how a couple minutes on swings can turn one's day around. 

It seems as if the air in which they breathe and move is perpetually filled with latent possibility. I consider it an honor to be able to share that space with them. In the midst of all the awkwardness inherent in the change-filled teenage years, lives are being shaped. If you take the time to listen to and walk with them, you can learn a lot. In one you see a natural leader - pushing back at her parents but wanting to support and direct her peers. In another you see a brilliant mind, focused with laser like interest on mechanics and music. In another, a creative and sensitive spirit, a counselor or a teacher. 

Color me crazy or just a big kid, but I can't imagine a better task than helping youth to uncover and use those unique -some might say, God-given - gifts, skills, talents and abilities. While I'm not so sure Youth Work in specific is my life-long vocation, I'm certain that advocating for and supporting youth will always be central to who I am and what I'm called to do. 

And no, nobody in my group put that Gummi Bear on the window. My kids know better than that.

It was a 'gift' left by the Metro-North 'Cleaning' Crew.

How thoughtful. . .