Notes from Miss Patti

September 3, 2019

"Anyone have a penny?"

WOW....what a great night at our Mentor Back to School/Group Training! Great job staff!

I'm just always so overwhelmed with such emotions because of each one of our mentors who continue to invest in our girls! I especially felt so blessed to sit in "the circle" with some amazing mentors sharing success stories along with some discouragement of wanting so much for our girls, but how success doesn't always seem right around the corner like we hoped. I want to encourage you with a story I recently read.

A young mother spoke of how her pastor had challenged her to take the gift she'd received at the dedication of her child, a jar of 936 pennies representing how many weeks she would have with her child from birth to eighteen years of age. She was to remove one penny every Sunday. The pennies remaining in the jar would represent how many weeks she would have left to raise her child before they turned eighteen. Her baby was already a year and a half old, so she would have take out 76 pennies to get started. She couldn't do it! She couldn't bare to think about how she might have frivolously, without much thought, spent those weeks that are now gone, never to return. Had any of those weeks gotten "lost in the couch" or thrown to the bottom of her purse without much thought of their value? Had she said words she really didn't mean, or wasted precious opportunities because of business? It wasn't till weeks later, after intentionally, with more thought of every passing week, that she finally began taking pennies out of the jar that represented time past...precious time with her child. But what I love about the story is, that when she started removing pennies, she grabbed another jar and began putting them into it, representing, not time lost, but time invested! Each week as she withdraws those pennies from that jar, they are not being lost, misplaced, or tossed out to never be seen again. They are being invested.

And now my encouraging words to YOU! Every encouraging text sent, name spoken, ears listening, weekly groups attended are just a few ways you are INVESTING in our girls. If you added a penny into a jar every time you showed up, answered a call (even at midnight), picked her up for group, showed her love even when she disrespected you, were there for her when she decided to come back home after a "runaway" or for not judging her when she did that same thing AGAIN! A penny every time....you would be rich! But so much richer than the return of a jar full of any coin. Rich in the fulfillment of assets built, trust built, relationship built with ONE MORE CARING ADULT that didn't give up on her! We may never know the difference we are making by the investment of a "penny" in the life of a precious child who was created with a purpose. She may not know her purpose, but because you showed her she is valuable enough to be invested in, I am confident she will find her purpose!

So be encouraged....you are a MENTOR!

Blessings,

Miss Patti