Today was my first day back at the Minneapolis preschool. I wondered if any of the kids I worked with three months ago would still be there.
If they are not in school any more, it could be good news or bad. It could mean their families found stable housing, or that they got booted for some reason, such as a parent's failure to follow through on their program.
Turns out, it was all of the above.
The transition from working with homeless adults to homeless preschoolers is both wide and not so far.
In both places, it's important to leave your own needs and expectations at the door and take what comes. It also helps to approach everyone you meet with love.
I can't say how much it matters to each person I meet, but this attitude is especially helpful to me when dealing with difficult people and situations. I've also learned that it is sometimes easier to meet a stranger on the road with that open heart than it is for dealing with people closer by, where the baggage and experience can be more complicated.
It was fun to see some of my favorites from before, to be remembered, and to renew the bonds we formed.
But it was also cool to meet new kids and discover new issues and hurdles that I might be able to help assuage: A girl distressed because her mother has remarried; another girl who recently moved up from the toddlers group and is still finding her way; a boy whose father is no longer living with the family; another boy who is very withdrawn while his twin brother is acting out.
These issues are not so different from what the adults in Grand Junction may have faced. And my role as a day-by-day crack filler is similar.
The main difference now is that it is easier for me to hope.
