Witnessing Hope
by Diane Richardson
I was able to volunteer at the East Hills site for the Kansas City Urban Youth Center last week . . . what a wonderful time it was. There were beautiful children and dedicated adults, hotdogs and sticky hands, loud laughs and a couple words uttered in anger. In the midst of these paradoxes, hope was found.
I was sitting at a round table, introducing myself for the first time and met
four incredible young ladies, who were full of intelligence, beauty, grace and joy.
As we began to talk about what it means to be a woman in today's society, I noticed
an antsy seven-year old to my left, Kareemha. I really wanted to control her energy
and so quite unintentionally I placed my hand on her back. In a few minutes I removed
my hand and this little beautiful girl looked with her sparkling eyes into mine.
She said it softly, under her breath, "I feel good right now". Did I hear what I thought I heard? "What did you say, sweetie?" I asked. "I feel good". My heart was captured. "Why do you feel good?" I asked. "Because you touched my back," she honestly replied.
Honesty. A real answer. The truth. There it was. Children are most often willing to say it... out loud... "It" being the things we think but often do not say. They speak and it breathes Hope into our world.
And really, I felt good right then too . . . for hope was among us.