Shot of Courage, Within Reach

There is a picture that I keep close by within reach.... for when I need a shot of courage.  Sometimes we find ourselves doubting...wondering what we are really made of and if we can jump over the next hurdle, whatever it may be (and there are many, huh??!!)  Seeing this picture reminds me of who I was when it was taken.  It takes me back to a time when I had a big task ahead of me.

This picture was taken 23 years ago when I worked in an after school program with Catholic students who couldn't receive speech therapy in their schools.  This little guy was in kindergarten at the time and was on my caseload.  After meeting him, I quickly realized I had my work cut out for me.  Only having vowels in his speaking repertoire, he could be understood by nobody....not his family, his teachers, or what friends he had at school.  His mother, who brought him to therapy each week, told me that she nor her husband could communicate with him and that it was tearing them apart.  Time was ticking on and nobody could help him, it seemed.

I gripped the steering wheel all the way home that evening and dragged out every book I ever had in college, looking for the recipe on how to help him.  He wasn't like any child in those textbooks, or one I had ever had in clinical rotations a mere few years earlier.  I came to the swift conclusion that he deserved another therapist....one with more experience and knowledge, but I was the one with the file.  So....I cooked up a plan, threw in every possible ingredient that I knew of, said a quick prayer for mercy and prepared myself for the task ahead.

Over the that school year that little guy worked...hard.  His family sat in on numerous sessions and worked...hard.  We worked side by side....hard.  Little by little, week by week, a whole new world opened up for all of us.   At the end of the school year, his mother invited me to his kindergarten graduation.  I was overcome with excitement sitting in the auditorium that spring evening.  Some children had speaking parts, and my guy was one of them.  I waited anxiously for his turn at the microphone.  His face lit up, seemingly surprised at what he was hearing himself say.   What came out of his mouth was, to this day, the sweetest symphony I've ever heard.   His father whispered a thank-you, through  his tears.  I replied that he was welcome...and that it was my job.  What came out of his mouth next is something I have never forgotten: "You did more than a job.  You gave me back my son.  I can talk to him now...I know what he thinks and how he feels.  I never knew any of that before."

I got curious one day about 13 years after this picture was taken and called this family.  Turns out he was ready to graduate high school and head off to college...on a scholarship...possibly pre-med.  His mom told me they spoke of his therapy often, wondering what had become of me.  I assured her I was still alive and kicking!

Today, when I look at the picture of this girl, I see a few things (other than the fountain of youth!):  She was nervous, but she had a plan.  She was unsure, but she took the reigns.  She needed success, and she made it happen.  That's why I keep the picture close by....because I'm still that girl.

What are you reaching for when you need courage?