ESP 2013

40 faces glowing with excitement, with nervousness as they take their first steps into uncertainty, and the crazy thing is I was standing in their shoes just a year ago.
And look at where I am now.

Although living in a dorm for six weeks out of the summer is not exactly something I ever desired, I have done it twice now and I wouldn't change a thing.
These kids have touched me more than I think they will know, the way they look up to me and ask me for advice and words of wisdom. It is reassuring that hey, at least some people think I'm still on the right track.

9 o'clock curfews got old, but smiling faces would wander in and visit me and listen to my life, sharing similarities and connecting with me. They would point out my talents with art and creativity, and then they would share with me theirs; jamming out on the guitar and singing old country songs, theatrically singing songs from plays and movies... and I am thankful they opened up to let me know them. Curiosity got the best of them and they nagged at me about my tattoo and what it meant; and I felt so full because they cared, they wanted to know. I mattered.

Then, the people that would open up to me about their struggles, confide in me though I didn't have many answers at all... but I listened with hope that this is what life is about. The nights filled with laughs made the hard ones dealing with their shenanigans worth it. Bonding with the kids, developing a relationship where we were comfortable with each other was an amazing experience. This is why we are meant to be in relationships with each other- it leaves you feeling so full.

See, relationships aren't beneficial to one person, both people walk away changed whether they realize it or not. Because we leave prints on people's lives- we touch them with every word we say and action we carry out, and we are touched by the words and actions of others. We learn, we grow.

Now that the last five days have arrived, I am reminiscing on the times that we have shared together this summer, and I could not imagine a different way I could have spent my summer that would have been better for me than working with the Early Success Program. I have been so blessed by sharing a time of my life with these kids, and I am so thankful that they have left an impression on me that makes me want to be better, to do better. I can only hope that I have done the same.