A Moment in Time

     A few nights ago I snapped a picture of children playing together at the Boys and Girls Club, thinking I would share it on social media. But as I looked back at it, I knew I had more to say about this picture than I could fit in a Facebook post
      You can't tell from this picture that at least one of these boys struggles with peer interactions, so to see them all playing together civilly without the prompting of an adult was a big deal, even if it only lasted a few minutes before the bickering began,
     You can't tell from this picture that these boys are growing up in a place that is beautiful and wild, but at the same time isolated and limited in many ways. You can't see how myself and many others like me spend so much time and emotional energy wracking our brains for any idea that will enrich the lives of these children.
     You can't tell from this picture that just before I took it I had returned from the food bank, emotionally exhausted, and you would never know just by looking at this picture how much I needed to see this brief moment of children just being children.
    Witnessing this brief interaction reminded me that it is okay, and even important, to love people as they are. In my line of work, there is always a goal to reach, which is something I need to keep me motivated. But sometimes I forget that it is okay to enjoy the moment even though the goal hasn't been met yet, and watching this simple interaction reminded me that I  need to do more of that..
     Maybe that's why I have been having trouble putting my experiences into words lately. Because at first glance, this looks like a standard picture of some children playing together. But if you had been there, you would know that it is so much more than that.