AWAKENING OF THE SPIRIT

The Heat was not yet unbearable one hot and sunny day.  The children were done running around and were quietly sitting with their friends and the older youth. This was yet another day where the Jr. Youth group was meeting.  A man walked up, not wanting to disturb, and sat within a close enough distance to observe yet far enough away to not disturb the group.

The man marveled at the cohesiveness of the group and the spirit that animated their activities.  As he watched the children singing he reflected on his life, a life balanced between the time that was and the time to come; though the time to come was becoming shorter and shorter each day.   As these thoughts danced through his mind he was struck by memories almost forgotten of a time now long ago.

In the south those days the number of followers numbered much smaller than they do now.  The boy lived for some time in a city with no other fellow believers.  His family was his community. Twice each year the family would pack their bags and travel to a city far away and attend the winter or Summer school where believers across the State would gather and for a short time there would be a larger sense of family for all.  This particular summer school was being held in a college that was out for the summer.  It was another hot Florida summer and the humidity was as bearable as possible.  The almost daily thunderstorms would pass by in the early afternoon and wash the dross away and bring about a thicker and more pungent atmosphere to breathe in.

This year was different for the boy than any other in the past.  There as much on his mind.  They had arrived and set up in their rooms and wandered about with the others.  The younger siblings ran with the other children chasing each other and finding other kinds of mischief to get into.  He was at that forgotten age, not quite a child anymore but not a teenager either.  One particular day, whether or not he had a class, he found himself wandering the hallways.  He had waves of confusion washing over him.  He had, for the first time, experience the first tuning plucks on the strings of love.  He was confused with feelings of care for others which were new to him.  Other thoughts occupying his time were the feelings of isolation, solitude and being alone in the world.  These feelings became stronger and stronger the more he thought on life and this in itself set him on another avalanche, a tempest of conflicting emotions swirling in his mind.

It was at this time, as he wandered the halls with his mind in flux, passing classroom after classroom not too different from the afternoon thunderstorm sweeping through its territory.  One of the rooms turned out to be occupied.  He paused briefly seeing older children, ones that others called youth, working on a project.  He passed on, wistfully knowing he did not belong.  It was this point where things changed and helped change the course of his life.  A person poked her head out and called to the boy.  He responded.  She asked him if he would like to work on the project with them.

As he stepped into that room he left childhood behind and found himself in a new world.  Even now, he remembers the puppets that were being made from bags.  The diorama that was to become the stage and the other artwork that was being developed for a presentation to the adults at a later time are still embedded in his being.  It was this point in his life that he felt accepted outside of family.  It was here that he found himself a child no longer.

The man recalled that moment as clearly as if it was yesterday. It was the first awakenings to a life of service that now occupied his every waking moment.  That teenage girl that reached out to him is still a friend and she continues on a path for service, with her husband and children.  One act of kindness could change a person’s life.  If only children of that age were not set aside, ignored and appreciated.  If only people understood that a small effort on the part of one older, reaching out to that younger soul, could impact and change that life forever, and for the best.  If only the older youth knew.

He looked up from his reflections and looked at the youth leading the Jr. Youth group and smiled. inside his heart was singing from lessons learned, and a generation to come who would have a profound impact on others, no longer neglected, ignored or set aside.  With joy and peace he stood, shook the dust from his feet and walked away.

-Shiidon, July 2013

With the youth conferences this summer and the work being done with Jr. Youth I was inspired to write this little story.