Hope

I was able to go to the new East Hills site for the Kansas City Urban Youth center last night... what a wonderful couple of hours it was. There were beautiful children and dedicated adults, hotdogs and sticky hands, loud laughs and a couple curse words uttered in anger. In the midst of these paradoxes, Hope was found. 

I was sitting a round table, introducing myself for the first time to Rajae, Kareemha, Christian, Warner and Dominique (these may be incorrect spellings, but I am working on learning the right ones). These incredible ladies were full of intelligence, beauty, grace and joy. As we began to talk about what it means to be a woman in today's society, I noticed an antsy seven-year old to my left, Kareemha. I really wanted to control her energy and so quite unintentionally I placed my hand on her back. In a few minutes I removed my hand and this little beautiful girl looked with her sparkling eyes into mine. 

She said it softly, under her breath, "I feel good right now". Did I hear what I thought I heard? "What did you say, sweetie?" I asked. "I feel good". My heart was captured. "Why do you feel good?" I asked. "Because you touched my back," she honestly replied. 

Honesty. A real answer. The truth. There it was. Children, are most often willing to say it.. out loud... "it" being the things we think that we dare not say. They, like Maya Angelou's poem, are phenomenal. They speak and it breathes Hope into our world. 

And really, I felt good right then too. For, Hope was among us.