Keepin' the Faith

Tonight I spent the evening with Kristin, her mom, Dawn, Dashon, and a woman who worked as a teacher with inner city kids. I didn't talk much, because I had little to contribute to our heavy conversations. They all have faced so much adversity, and then the story of this woman's students made all of our lives look like heaven. Dashon talked about his exhaustion from depression, and how he wants to "take a semester off" of school. Kristin's mom told him he is half way there and how much we all believe in him. They then proceeded to tell stories of faith, answered prayers, and sparks of hope in dark moments. Kristin's mom recalled a few stories through tears where she felt her prayers were answered. One of them involved a man who was doing a repair on their furnace hearing them pray. John was crying because they didn't have enough money to fix it and they couldn't go to their Uncle's for Thanksgiving because the pipes would freeze. Kristin's mom told them that it was Thanksgiving so they needed to be thankful that they had each other. The repair man left, but returned and said, "God told me to come back with this part for the furnace. I'm going to fix it, and you don't have to pay me a penny." The tears of joy she cried while telling me about this were amazing. That idea of prayer connecting people and prayers being answered by people holds true for this. I'm thankful I have that to believe in, because I don't want to deny such a powerful connection. So what if a man in the sky didn't tell this guy to go back and fix their furnace for free so they could enjoy thanksgiving? The idea that belief can connect people like that and spark such miraculous,  counterintuitive, benevolence is awe-inspiring, which is the same thing as God for some. 

I had such a wonderful night and made sure to tell Dashon that I loved him (and all of them). It breaks my heart to see Dashon struggling with mental-health issues after so many years, but I see a light in him. I have faith that he will not only pull through, but do something huge to change the lives of many suffering.  Tonight he was talking about how there are not enough role-models for young Black men. The seed has been planted. I'm confident he will be one. He's got such a good heart and a drive to help others and seek truth. I'm just as confident and proud about Kristin and Dawn, but I feel the need to tell Dashon about it the most, since he feels so hopeless sometimes. Then, don't get me started on Kristin's mom. She has such a big heart and an admirable mindset. I am thankful to have friends I love and am so proud of in my life. I don't get to see or talk to them nearly as much as I would like. I realized I missed them more than usual the whole night I was with them. I kept feeling happy to be with them, but sad for all of the lost time and the knowledge I will not see them for a while again. It's not a bad sadness; it's that beautiful kind that causes me to treasure those moments more than anything else in the world.