on starting small...

(Original Post 11/7/14)
So to follow up a bit on that last post...

I read this incredible book this spring called 'til the end of June by Cris Beam. It explored the foster care system in New York state in hope of drawing some light on the foster care system in this country as a whole. I would be lying if I said this book was not alarming, disturbing, and incredibly eye opening. I have worked with children in the foster care system in the past, both as a teacher and as a therapist, and in reading this text, I feel like I have an even better understanding of the disjointed-ness of the system that we have developed to "protect" children in need of support and ultimately... love.

Beam speaks to this so well in this text (having been under the "care" of the foster system as a child) and addresses the fact that even a moment of attention from a genuinely caring adult can exponentially shift the experience of a young person. Beam accentuates that offering children the "opportunity to believe that they can become something good" can be life altering. If only, as a society we could take a second to notice how incredibly true that is and embrace it, make it the crux of our systems.

(I cannot begin to get started on my frustrations with child welfare/ care/ educational systems as a whole..)

Having a child witness themselves being seen by an adult can be so validating, and even life saving. Allowing oneself to be seen requires vulnerability... a hard thing to access sometimes. A child must feel safe... safe in being seen, heard, and understood. In essence, they must feel held, connected to, and embraced as they are. 

As adults, many of us also have this desire. To be seen. In our own personal relationships we seek individuals or groups of people who love us for who we are, and see us as just that. Just us. No embellishments, no frills. 

Imagine being young (a child) and experiencing that... with less resources, less support, less faith. Consider for a moment what it might mean to you to be seen... potentially by someone who can even help.

Hope (which I deem as equitable to magic.)
Magic 

My point here I guess is that every contact counts. Make it meaningful. Make it kind, authentic, real. You might truly change someone or something for the best better there is. Be aware.

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