He always walks into my office with complete confidence.
He may be only 13 years old. He may be struggling with severe outbursts of anger. He may have several psychiatric diagnoses brought on by severe trauma. His hair may always be a little messy, and more than once I’ve seen him wipe his nose with the back of his forearm.
None of that matters. Although he is often awkward around his peers, and even cries easily when his feelings are hurt, none of that shows when he walks into my space. He visits about once a week and exudes confidence when he is with me. It’s ironic that at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch we say, “We meet kids where they are at.” Yet, when he decides to talk to me, he appears to work to meet me where I’m at.
“Joy, I think I should have your job.”
“You probably can someday,” I answered. “You’re a little young now, but if you want it, go for it. What would you do if you had my job?”
“I don’t know for sure,” he said, squishing his face in a way that looked like he was thinking. “What do you do?”
“Hmmm, that’s always a tough question. The best I can say is that I try to get things out of the way so all the other people here can do their jobs.”
“Don’t you just tell people what to do?” he asked.
“Nope, that usually doesn’t work. I would guess you don’t like people telling you what to do. The staff work here because they care about you, and I am here to make sure they have what they need to do that well.”
“That’s not as much fun sounding. Do you have any treats I can give Sydney [the Ranch therapy dog] to make her shake hands?”
And… he was off to class.
I can’t wait for his next visit.
Please keep our kids and staff in your prayers.
In His love,
Joy Ryan, President/CEO
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch
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