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.