When my oldest granddaughter was three years old, I was up early making breakfast with her. We were making banana chocolate chip muffins, her very favorite.
All of a sudden, she stopped, looked up at me with chocolate caked around her mouth, and said, “Gramma, when I grow up, I want to be a cooker like you.” Even now, I get a little teary when I think about it.
Is there anything more special than having a child say, “I want to be like you?” Those words embody so much, don’t they? Those five little words say “I’m safe,” and “You do good things,” and “I like you,” and “I respect you,” and in this case, “Banana chocolate chip muffins are pretty awesome.”
Children who come to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch have seldom had many healthy adult role models in their lives. Or, when the role models entered, the child was already in so much pain, they couldn’t “see” the good.
Every child at the Ranch completes a worksheet called, “All About Me.” One of the fill-in-the-blank questions is “When I grow up, I want to…” Two that came across my desk this week made me so grateful for the people I work with.
One said, “When I grow up, I want to become someone that helps other people (teens) like me that are struggling with addiction.”
The second read, “When I grow up, I want to be a teacher to work with kids like me.”
These two girls see the professionals around them and want to be like them. It is a testament to their healing.
The best part is that because of you and your support and your prayers, I believe they can fulfill their dreams!
Please keep the children and staff of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch in your prayers.
In His love,
Joy Ryan, President/CEO
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch
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