trying to become older & wiser

life goes in cycles; when something begins it will inevitably end. i know this to be true, but that doesn't make it any easier. i'm coming to the close of my current grant and this week marks my last week with these kids. i'm terribly distraught about leaving them. i worry about the negative consequences that will surely arise from them having one more person who they've come to trust disappearing from their life. i worry about what is going to happen this summer when no one is doing any case management on them. i worry about letting them down. but i know i did my job and i met my goal. we reached over 150 kids on a personal, individual basis and our outcome reports are looking good. however, this week of saying goodbye is going to be rough, i'm almost about to start tearing up just writing this post....such a sap, but those kids are my life.

i decided to make all of the kids little bags of surprises and i enclosed the following letter which i wrote last night at 3 a.m. i thought it might be something good to post because no matter if you're 12 or 82, these are still some good things to keep in mind, so here ya go:


To _________________________,

It has been an absolute blast to work with you over the last four months. While I was supposed to be the one teaching you, you have taught me so much more. It has been a pleasure getting to know each of you and it is because of you that I absolutely love my job. Thank you for wanting to be leaders in your communities , schools, and homes. I have no doubt that you will be successful and courageous in whatever you choose to do.

I have created the following list of things that I've learned growing up - some the easy way, and some the very hard way. If you haven't learned anything else this semester, just take one of these things with you and I will have done my job.

1. Don’t ever forget where you came from…your roots will always keep you grounded.
2. Fear is no reason not to go forward. The things that scare you are often the most worthwhile.
3. Do well in school. An education will be your ticket to many good things.
4. Laugh at yourself. Often.
5. Character is much easier kept than regained.
6. Never underestimate the value of your family. There will come a time when they’re all you’ve got. (and family doesn’t always mean flesh & blood.)
7. Take every single chance you can to love others; especially the ones that you really don’t think you can. You’ll be amazed at what effect this has on your enemies.
8. Do not lie. The truth will always come out. Always.
9. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
10. Don’t get weighed down by not fitting in, feeling alone, or being different from everybody else. Trust me, there’s someone else feeling the same way and in 10 years nobody cares about any of this anyway.
11. Don’t think your life will start at the next stage (exp. “when I turn 16, then things will begin; when I go to college, life will finally be good; when I get married, then I’ll be happy.) Your life is happening right now.
12. Find a hobby. An activity that you enjoy doing for you and only you.
13. Be a kid! Stop worrying. You have plenty of time to be serious and grown up.
14. Find at least one friend who you can totally be yourself around.
15. Say “please” and “thank you” at every opportunity.
16. Take the time to really listen to people.
17. Always go with your gut. That feeling in the pit of your stomach and that nagging conscience is fool-proof.
18. Remember that “this too shall pass.” What seems like a monumental obstacle right now will often gain perspective in time.
19. Even when it gets extremely difficult, always try to find the best in everyone and everything. No matter what, the heart of life is good.
20. That being said, life is going to beat you up. A lot. But there’s this thing called resilience and through that you will find a strength you never knew you had.
21. Go play outside, get your knees scraped up, and breathe in some fresh air. It’ll do you good.
22. Try to remember that people will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
23. Do the right thing for the right reasons.
24. Gratitude is the foundation of happiness. Someone is always going to have more than you and someone is always going to have less than you. Once you take account of what you really have, you’ll feel so lucky.
25. Smile every day.

I'm so very proud of each and every one of you; I believe in you. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me.

-Miss Shannan