Some things make you stop and think...

There are days that make me sit back and think. Like the day when one of the kids came in that I hadn't seen in awhile. He didn't look "right", so I asked him what was up...was he ok?

He's one of those people that, the very minute you strike up a conversation, you KNOW there is something more to him than first meets the eye. Never mind the beanie...and all that hair. Never mind the snake bite piercings. Never mind any of that. If you take just that extra pause to listen, you know there's more.

Anyhow, the other day this young man seemed...not ok.

As it turns out, his mother has stage 4 bladder cancer...so he's got other things on his mind besides school. He's taking care of her. He's getting his brother to school every day. He's cooking, cleaning, and getting groceries. He's 17 years old, and he was keeping this to himself.

So I look at myself...and I look at him...and I have to wonder, who was the grown-up in that conversation?

Some things really do make you stop and think.