It all started yesterday. The sun was setting, and the phone rang. “Would you be free tomorrow night to share your story with a group of teenaged girls?”
Would I? Could I? I had to find a way to make it happen. For me, the height of life was capturing moments like these.
My amazing friends, Mel & Gary, agreed to enjoy my daughter a little longer tonight so I could take part in a deep conversation with an incredible group of girls.
I took 15 minutes to share my story…that was the Cole’s notes version, believe me…they took a moment to digest, and then the questions came. It was the height of my day to hear their thoughts and curiosities. I went with little expectation as to how my story would be received, or whether or not it would be engaging, but I hoped, and I left elated, feeling something profound had just happened; the exploration of stigmas, the sharing of the grittiness of life, and the examination of hope. Real hope.
I wasn’t expecting the reaction I received, but I welcomed it. To listen into a forum like that would have given me joy. To be at the center of a forum like that, engaging it, addressing it, where deep questions were asked, ideas explored, thoughts were challenged and others embraced, and at the most deeply beautiful level, life was shared, was a priceless, irreplaceable gift to me. For me, that was gold.
I left those girls wondering how soon I could visit again, and when I could bring my daughter to meet them. I hoped it would be soon.
With gratitude for this experience, and the opportunity to spend time with those rare gems, I say, “Thank you girls! Thank you for sharing a real piece of life with me.”
