August 9, 2009
It is always good to hear that you made a real difference in someone's life. Today a young man I knew when I worked in Calgary, took the time to share some personal feelings about the last time we saw each other at the D.I. He told me how the night before he was to leave for Poundmaker (Native centred treatment facility) he spent the night "partying". Crack was his drug of choice. In the morning I went to him to wish him well and say our goodbyes...he told me he didn't know how he was going to get to the Greyhound Station. Apparently, I handed him $20 for cab fare, an action that would have made administration very upset with me, had they known ;-). My friend said he had been having second thoughts about entering treatment, and he could have taken that money across the street and scored some crack. But according to him that little bit of faith I had shown in him, made the difference, he was in a cab and however reluctantly off to his new life. You gotta love a happy ending.
Some times the smallest thing can turn a heart. The right words at the right moment. A small gift, I once bought a client a pair of pajamas LOL. A dream catcher for a boy who was having trouble sleeping. There are a hundred small things and the ones with the most impact are usually outside the job description. A birthday card in a locker or backpack...A hug and a big smile that just says "I'm so happy to see you!" Connecting with clients or kings isn't difficult once you realize that we are all just people doing the best we can with what we have to work with. We all pretty much want the same things from life, love, respect and a little kindness.
No comments:
Post a Comment