They feed my soul
Recently I have had a few different conversations with the teens at church about why I do this job. Yes, I am a Board Certified Geriatric Pharmacist who only works two days a week with these skills. And yes, I make equal as a full time youth minister as I do a pharmacist. And yes again, I could make triple my youth ministry salary if I worked full time as a pharmacist.
This week I had an impromptu conversation with a teen in the choir loft. We talked for over an hour about life choices. As we were there we also took some time to talk about the beauty of our church as the late afternoon sun filters in. Later she texted me and thanked me for choosing this job over Pharmacy.
Sunday night we had our summer service youth group meeting. We had to share that one of our’s who just graduated need support. Chris’s mom was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We told the teens just before we went to Mass. Chris just happened to be sitting two pews behind us but we didn’t know until the end of Mass. My heart and eyes filled when Mass was over and the teens all gathered around Chris. They hugged him and made him laugh. Watching them was just one small moment in this job.
Last night I went to the local high school for National Honor Society induction. I hadn’t even crossed the entrance when o heard my name being called. I saw one of our teens and started to talk to her. Then I was hearing my name called a few more times with smiles and waves. Each of the students who are being inducted wrote a letter to someone who made a positive impact on their life. This is the second year my name was called. Yes it is awesome to have your name called and be recognized. However the biggest honor is the position impact these kids feel I made on their life.
For the past few weeks I have felt like crying on the way home. Last night I blasted the radio and sang along and felt happy. These kids feed me more than they know. They feed my soul. They are more important than a fat bank account.
