Elevator Ride

My 7th grade student that I'm mentoring, we'll call her M, is on my mind this morning. I will see her later today and I'm reflecting on last weeks time. I met her in the hallway of the Middle School and asked her to sit down on the bench for a minute.

I offered her a couple of ideas, "We could go into the counselor's office and play a game, we could go into the Library and share some conversation, reading magazines, etc or we could go outside and walk the track." She stared thoughtfully at me.
"Or," I said, shoulders shrugging, "you could pick something else you'd like to do."
Her eyes instantly lit up and her face became bright. "Could we ride the elevator?" she beamed hopefully at me.
"Of course we can!!" I was so excited to have an open door from this shy and introverted girl.

We rode the elevator, several times, and when we came out she was almost skipping down the hall. She told me that ever since she started at this school she has wanted to ride the elevator, but didn't want to break the rules. She had recently befriended two girls, one blind and one wheelchair bound, in hopes that one day she would get to ride with them in the elevator. She was elated to do something that had been so elusive to her just moments before. It was as if the possibility of achieving the impossible had landed right into her hands and she could feel it! This quiet and shy girl, who 1 week ago could barely tell me her favorite color or hobby, proceeded to tell me all about her dreams, her goals, her friends, her family, and even her passions for the next 40 minutes. I wonder what marvelous mystery awaits M and me today?

Mentor a Child

Friday is here. It's my day off, which means no email, no strategy meetings, and no phone calls. It means time to rest, to unwind, and to have fun. It also means something new for me, mentoring.

I learned this year that the Texas Departments of Corrections sets their ten year budget based on the reading tests scores of Texas third graders. The city of Austin, and surrounding areas is taking the idea of mentoring school kids seriously. Local school districts are partnering with non-profits and churches to try and provide thousands of mentors for local students. So, I jumped at the challenge and now spend an hour every Friday with a gentle spirited and shy 7th grade girl at Wiley Middle School.

Mentoring is one of the most underrated forms of relationship. There have been so many people in my life who "accidentally" mentored me. It was nothing formal. There was no plan or agenda, and often times they didn't even know they were mentoring me. I was just watching them live and catching the things that I needed to catch. When we humbly step into the life of another, with no agenda and no selfish motives, it is transformational for both people. I have no idea where to take this girl, how to get her to open up, help her trust me, or challenge her in helpful ways. It's a complete mystery.

Something beautifully mysterious happens when we choose to give our life away, expecting nothing in return. So, I'm ready, bring on the mystery!!

Better Place

A motto and theme I have carried with me for quite some time is that "I want to leave the world a better place than I found it."  If I remember correctly, it was birthed in a morbid pity party on a very dark night of my soul, but it's traveled with me since that time. It has driven me to seek healing for those dark places in my soul, to create a healthy family, and to give my life away.

This is the way I most often WANT to live, but find myself failing far more than I'm comfortable with. There is this duality that lives in me of who I am and who I'm meant to be. This inner conflict is the main thing that drives me to know God more. There is this magnetic pull between my soul and Him and I'm very cognizant that it is only when I invite Him into my ideal of leaving the world a better place, that I have any capacity to actually do it!

I quote Mother Theresa a lot, and will just go ahead and do it today!! She once said, "Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier." What does it look like for you to live your life today with a desire to make the world a better place? What would it look like for you to see people as the best version of themselves and leave them better and happier?