Guarding the Gate

I've had the chance to listen to seniors tell the stories of their lives as they present their Senior Portfolios before graduation day on May 30th. Their stories are poignant and compelling. It is hard to imagine their words, their memories, as they stand before us in high heels and pretty dresses, suit jackets and ties. The air is full of promise, and success, as they finish high school and hold college acceptance letters in their hands. Here in the moment it dramatically illustrates what the impact a loving support group has on the life of a child.

Families seem durable and rugged, but they are not. They are shred by poverty, and violence, indifference, divorce and mental illness. I listen to them, to how they got to this moment and their climb out of a culture of failure that contributed to their journey but did not define it. Here, they put to words the truth of those who took their hand and helped them along. The names of teachers, coaches, pastors, neighbor families, and grandparents fill the room with gratitude and love.

The daughters I have grown to love had an unstable childhood which has dogged them into adulthood. They understand all too well the importance of being Lions Guarding the Gate of their childrens' innocence and breaking the cycle of indifference. I listen gently to their journeys and grieve for them and applaud their courage. The wounds still bleed but I know someday it will stop. They are wonderful parents, these girls. One has raised six children under extreme circumstances and the children continue to thrive. Another has stepped forward to raise her nieces and nephew, although she and her husband have no children of their own. They taught themselves how to sacrifice every day, postpone their own plans, re-route their goals, because they know what not doing it will mean.

This I believe: no child is someone else's problem. It is sometimes inconvenient or complicated to intercede when we see crisis or neglect, but we must. Adults need to become an instrument of change when children need our help. Always, and forever, children come first.

Who knows what a simple outstretched hand will do, a gesture of kindness, a nutritious meal, a trip to the zoo, or a ride to church? If all of us are charged with being Lions, children will receive the love, support, dignity and respect they deserve. No one knows better than these high schoolers where they would be without it.