Turning the tables

I was lucky enough to find a good job, in my field, right out of college. I know that's not always the case, or even common, and I consider myself very fortunate in that regard. One thing that has been on my mind off and on ever since is the growing trend that seems to be ocurring more and more in the workplace - situations where 40-50-60 something age people have 20-30 somethings as their superiors. That thought was refreshed in my mind again this morning when I went to Starbucks when I was waiting to meet someone.

I saw two girls, one probably middle to late 20's, the other probably late 20's - and a middle aged guy, probably middle to late 50's. I caught the very beginning of their conversation - it was an evaluation of the man by the two girls (they were all employees). A couple sentences caught my ear, and I was trying not to listen, but it sounded like part of the conversation had to do with some improvements that he needed to make. I wondered what was going through the mind of that man, and if any of it had to do with the fact that he had two people half his age telling him that he needed to work on some things.

I've felt the same kinds of things here in the church I'm working at - technically, by title, I am at a different level than some of those who are both older than me and have been here years longer than me, but I don't ever feel like I am -- or want to be -- seen as any higher than any of my coworkers. It's not even necessary - our jobs, though vital to the others, cross in the ministry we do, but we each have our own areas of control. I guess I think of it more in places like restaurants, department stores, etc., where so often now, some of the most powerful managers and CEO's are younger college and grad school "kids" that are "more qualified" than their 40 something counterparts who have more life experience than they could shake a stick at.

Every situation is different of course - the young adults of today have grown up well versed, and almost -- if not totally -- dependent on the ever growing and changing technology present in the world today. This in and of itself is a difference, not to mention that it seems more and more kids are attending either community colleges or doing the 4 year route - in Liberal Arts schools that force them to become the "well rounded individuals" that are sought out in so many workplaces today, where often one of the job requirements is a college education - sometimes in the particular field, sometimes not. This is different from even 10 or 20 years ago.

Now, understand that I am by no means saying that this younger generation is more capable than the generations before them - but that society seems to be creating a niche for them - simply by virtue of growing up in the time period that we did. Many people seem to be going back to college, getting more under thier belts - for reasons of both necessity and personal desire, and the younger generation, already equipped with so many of the skills desired by the workforce, have the advantage of being required to learn and develope the skills as part of their general education - even before they end up in a college somewhere. Now, with all of that said, are we creating a situation where any of this ever be considered a kind of age discrimination? Or is it merely a changing of the times - after all, go back even 15 to 20 years before computers were a staple in almost every home - and that generation had its own set of advantages with the current era of technology that put them above the ones that came before them.

Anyway, I don't know if any of this is even totally true, or if it is just something I have noticed, and because of that, continue to notice each time I see it. What do you think? And, for that matter, what's next?

And with all the saints that have gone before us...

Today is All Saints Sunday - a day devoted to the remembrance of those who have passed away this year. Though anyone who has ever lost someone close to them will tell you that the memories are always there, this day in particular honors their memory in the church as well...their spiritual memories.

The children's sermon in church today caught my interest - our pastor talked about how all of us are saints, not just those who are gone from this earth, and not just those "really really special people" in our lives, but all of us. He illustrated this idea by showing how different items are made holy because God is present in them, such as ordinary bread and wine made holy by consecrating them, and an ordinary book compared to the Holy Bible, because the Bible contains the word of God. My mind flashed back to one of those e-mail forwards that went around a few times called "it depends on whose hands it's in." The premise of the whole thing was that any object would be worth substantially more if it were placed in the hands of someone who was an expert or professional with that object. It's the same idea, although there is a definite spiritual bent on the things outlined in the sermon. Anyone can be in posession of those holy objects, and still they remain holy, becuase their worth comes from something beyond our own human reach.

The memory of those lost, whether good or bad, can create a multitude of emotions. We can feel sorrow, anger, pain, happiness at the good times, regret for the bad. The chain of emotion doesn't stop at the person who lost a loved one, however. It carries on to those who know each of those people - and it can often hurt almost as much to see those friends and family members grieving over their losses as it hurts them to have lost someone. It is almost mind blowing how many people can be affected by a single loss of life. All life is precious, and there is a sort of morbid mystique that surrounds death - because it is something that is so permanent, so irreversible, and so uncontrollable in our human hands.

Kinda rough, take from it what you will.

Birthday Parties

It's been an interesting last coupole of weeks - at work, life in general. October was crazy busy, with lots of different things going on, lots to plan. And now October is gone, November is here, and it's actually pretty quiet - oddly enough. It's foreign to me - I'm not used to having down time. And while I should be enjoying it, instead, I just sit and wonder what I should be doing that I'm not.

I've taken some time to start visiting some of my kids from church during lunch at the high school - something I've been intending to do for quite a while, and finally took the time to do it. I have to admit, I was a little nervous - schools are a culture all their own, and I was nervous about finding my place in that culture as I ventured to the lunch room my first day. However, all it took was for a couple of my kids to get excited as they saw me and waved from across the room, and I knew it was going to be a good visit. Seeing my kids in their element, not mine, is something I think is key in understanding them better. It's fascinating to watch them - it brought me back to my high school days, which, though they weren't that long ago, still seemed like a thing of the distant past. High school is a culture all its own. Everyone constantly fighting for their right at a piece of the pie - I don't know if enough of us realize just how difficult it is to be in high school - and I dont know if we give those kids enough credit for fighting through those years.

And then there's last night. I got invited to be a part of a surprise sweet 16 party for one of my youth. Her friends took her out to a movie and then brought her back to a friend's house that had been decorated and filled with a bunch of her friends. Seeing her face was awesome - and even more awesome to me was her reaction to seeing me there - total surprise. I feel honored to have been a part of that surprise...to be invited into their territory, to be a part of that party. It may not seem like a big deal - but for someone just starting out in a new town in a new church - it really is.

Even more amazing, however, was a conversation I had later on the evening with my pastor and his wife whose home the party was at. The kids had gone outside to run around for a while and I was taking a break in the kitchen and talking to them, one of them thanked me for coming that evening and being around for the beginning of the party when all the kids were full of energy. I was just having fun, watching, and making sure they didn't destroy the house. But it was a comment that came later from my pastor that threw me for a loop the most. He said something to the effect that I had a good balance of being an authority figure and being a friend. Coming from him...that was an incredible compliment. Then as I was leaving to go home and go to bed, he said I was good at letting the kids be themselves - something that is important in establishing trust and good relationships. Those conversations also have a dual meaning to me - it also symbolizes what I consider to be a new level of my relationship to that pastor...something that really means a lot to me.

So...like I said, it's been an interesting couple weeks...I can't wait to see what's next.