Happy Endings

Oh how times are changing. In a matter of days, Justin and I were thrown into the rush of moving. Scheduling the movers to come, figuring out what we are going to do with the 6 days we have nothing in our house, but can't move yet, I'm updating my resume' and making meetings to hopefully get myself a job down in Corpus. All this mess is stressful, sad, exciting, etc. Friday marked one of first set of goodbyes. It was my last day as a counselor at the Youth Center.

I've said this before and I'll say it again. Never have I worked at a place where I like my boss, my coworkers, and the kids all at the SAME TIME! God really blessed me by giving me this job. It's actually hard to express in words how grateful and humbled I feel about this job.

First of all, the overall atmosphere of the Youth Center is an awesome one. I loved having the freedom to work with kids on a one-on-one basis, in groups, and also have a lot of fun along the way!

This picture was taken on Worldwide Day of Play. We had a bunch of games for the kids and the more games they played, the more tickets they got. With their tickets, they could buy prizes or...shove a pie in a counselors face. It was a lot of fun and we were all great sports.

This was for Pink Out Day in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Week. The counselors all joined in on the fun, and we had a great day eating pink food, painting our nails pink, and even spraying our hair pink with the kids!

When I think of this job, the saying "it's quality not quantity" comes to mind. When I started this job, I knew I wouldn't be there more than 6 months and could therefore not get very attached. Boy was I wrong. Having to leave this wonderful group of kids was just as hard on Friday as it was for me leaving my group of kiddos at Cross Timbers in Owasso (hi guys!). I tried to prepare myself for an emotional day and I was blown away by the kindness that was showed to me. First...

My sneaky coworkers had a surprise party for me! I've never had a surprise party before so I was so excited. Also, we at the Youth Center are pretty big on cookie cakes. So my surprise party was full of fruits, veggies, Diet Dr. Pepper (of course) and this delicious cookie cake! It was a great start to the afternoon and I managed to get through it without crying.

On a side note, my dad passed on this little story to me and he had it framed. It's a great reminder to me of how important the little things can be and never get discouraged about helping people, even if it's just a few...

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.

Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?"

... The youth replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean.
The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them back, they'll die."

"Son," the man said, "don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?
You can't make a difference!"

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,
and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said, "I made a difference for that one."

by: Loren Eisley

Now, I think I mentioned this story to my boss once. I talked about how I have my little "starfish" here at the Youth Center and even though I know I can't help them all, maybe I can make a difference for a few. Well, we were all called into the gym because everyone had something to give me...

Everyone at the Youth Center (coworkers and kids) had made their own little starfish and put made this pretty beach background. They made it to show and remind me that I have made a difference in ALL of their lives. Let's just say, my eyes were not dry when I saw this. I was unbelievably touched and I don't think they know how much this means to me. I will definitely keep in forever.


Not only did I make a difference in their lives, but they made a difference in my life as well. For 5 months I was surrounded by military kids and wives. Hearing the kids stories and seeing their positive attitude made my job such a humbling experience. The way I see it, if they can do it, then certainly I can do it!


I've worked with kids for over 8 years now and it's never easy saying goodbye. However, even as I was driving home that night, belongings cluttering my car, tears rolling down my face, I have a sense of peace because I know that I am still doing what I'm meant to do and my heart is in the right place.


So, thank you to everyone at the Youth Center for giving me an experience I will never forget! My next job will definitely have a hard time topping this one!


P.S. Megan...you're THE BEST ;)