I originally wrote this on May 1st, the next day I was told some disheartening news about Kevin. The night after the event of this post took place Kevin was robbed by a group of area kids. The end result was not good. There seemed to be a bit of a scuffle, Kevin is 5'1"-5'2" and he was by himself; he ended up pulling out a knife and well, let's put it this way, no one is dead, but Kevin is in county jail where he will remain until bare minimum his arraignment at the end of the month.
I believe in every word that wrote about Kev, I know that he has the potential to be a great human being.
the underdog, the breaking of myths." - Dominic Monaghan
Over the weekend one of my son's friends
contacted me. He asked me if I had time to help him with a resume.
My first thought was that it has taken me a long time to find a job, are
you sure that you want my help?!?
Of course I was willing to lend a hand.
A little background about this particular
friend, Kevin, he was never a huge hit with the other parental units among
Bryan's crowd. He is quiet when he doesn't know you, which may make him
come across as shady and untrustworthy. He is always wearing headphones
tuning out society and loathes authority. He is generally bearded and
wears gauges in his ears. He seemed to mix with the wrong people and
trouble repeatedly found him.
I try not to judge people, especially
teenagers and young people, mainly because they are in this stage for such a
short time, trying to find where they fit in. Some make really bad
decisions, but Kevin was always respectful of me and my home and I have a soft
spot for the underdog. After all, someone has to help these boys become
the men they are meant to be.
One day, this young man decided he didn't
like having to alter his brain every day to feel something or nothing, (I
suppose is a better way to put it). Kevin was taking a huge step; he wanted to
change, wanted a chance, so he took it. He is just about to finish his
first semester in college, so when I heard he needed help with a resume I was so excited.
He came over on Monday night, as planned,
with a ginormous back pack on his back filled with school books and a laptop
computer; while I booted up my laptop he gathered the resume information.
As I looked over the information I asked Kevin, who Ralph was, (it was
all Ralph’s information in front of me). "A guy I met on the corner.”
he said. Well, my neck spun around so fast, I am surprised I didn't have
whiplash. WHAT? Seriously, was this a joke? I went from proud
to heartbroken within a matter of seconds.
It turns out I did not need to be
heartbroken, but heart-filled. Ralph is not a dealer (& I am ashamed
now to have even thought that), but a young homeless man who was distributing a
newspaper written and distributed by homeless people. Kevin had been
donating to help out Ralph when they started to delve a little deeper in
conversation. Ralph was looking for a job and Kevin offered to help.
Ralph's information was extensive; this
was an educated young man. His resume proved that he was educated and
could hold a job. He was descriptive and had a plethora of skill sets.
Why was this young man handing out papers? I'll never know, but if
I can be a small part in helping Ralph get back on his feet the way so many
have helped me, please let me.
I am so proud of my son's friend.
Kevin doesn't get applauded for much or ask for it, lately he has been
flying under the radar, doing school work and generally trying to lay-low;
however, I could not let this go unnoticed. I am proud and thankful that
he came to me to help and I am also honored to say that I think of Kevin as
another son. I hope and pray that Bryan and all of his friends create an
amazing path for each of their lives. It would be outstanding if they all
chose to help others while their doing it.
