White People Who Care....

A thought from a young prison boy this week...

"I used to think it was me against the world. I went to court and no one was there, no family, nothing. Then I came here. I think god sent you to me as an angel, to show me something, to teach me something. I never met white people who care. I think life is like a puzzle, and you put it together piece by piece, and when you are all done with the puzzle something beautiful happens. I just get angry when people get in my way from completing the puzzle."

I never thought about my color making a strong impact on the work that I do. Let this be a lesson to all of us, that we may not realize the unique tools we bring to the table until we do it...after this comment it made me think about starting a non-profit org. called "White People who Care"...then I realized it would mostly be comprised of my very ethnically diverse friends....ah well..."Be the change you wish to see in the world."

Magic Moment.

I had a magic moment last week...a simple moment but one of the more meaningful things that has happened to me in awhile.

I continue to spend time with kids on probation from prison. These are tough kids, and are from some of the more notorious and infamous LA gangs. A young man from the Bloods is a large and intimidating black kid from Watts. He is smart, and quick, has beat up most of the kids in the facility, but very few have seen him do it. He also runs a lot of underground stuff, of which everyone is aware, but again it's hard to catch him because he is so smooth. I never had a bad relationship with him, but also hadn't been able to make a connection with him either. He watched me a lot, very distrustful, often defiant, and always aloof. One day I was talking and I saw him watching me and listening, and then while I was talking he came up closer to me then he ever had before and gently and slowly pulled a leaf out that had caught in my hair. I stayed simple and kept talking slowly and just let him do it. At that moment I knew that the connection had been made. The next day he helped me make sandwiches for the homeless, the day after that he swept and mopped the floor with a simple smile and nod when I asked him. It was a small gesture, a simple thing, pulling that leaf from my hair...but it was a magic moment for me. A small reminder that if you stay consistent, genuinely love, and allow people to unfold in their own time the truth will arise all on its own.