Some years back my husband and I were making our way through a megastore checkout lane when I spotted Jasmine, a girl I recognized from detention. I hate to admit it, but I cringed when I saw her. She was several lanes away, and I didn’t figure she would notice me—I actually hoped she wouldn’t. I had nothing to say to her. I really do like people, and I can get along with almost anyone. However, in my memories of…
BY NANCY KIDD All people have a profound need to belong, to know they have a place in this world and that they matter. Unfortunately, however, there are untold numbers of souls, broken and suffering, because that need has never been fulfilled in their lives. I met Ashley many years ago when she appeared in the classroom at the juvenile detention center. A 15-year-old who appeared to have significant emotional issues, she was unable to remain attentive in the group….
Kids typically arrived at detention weighed down by a myriad of issues. In addition to their arrest charges, they often faced challenges stemming from poverty, unstable home lives, problems at school, and limited knowledge of or access to available resources. BY NANCY KIDD gatherthegoodblog@gmail.com While they were in detention, we tried to provide a positive environment. Although we knew we couldn’t “fix them,” we hoped they might learn something to take with them when they left—academic or otherwise. We tried…
There was an extra spark of enthusiasm in class one year as the detention center kids and I began a poetry unit. The students appeared eager to write and share their own poetry, so we set aside every Friday for open mic time. The day before the first performance, one of the students suggested I should also write a poem. BY NANCY KIDD “I don’t know,” I said reluctantly. Truthfully, I was thinking of the short time I would have…
For as long as I can remember, music has played an important role in my life. I have enjoyed listening to it as well as performing from time to time. BY NANCY KIDD At JDC I frequently turned to music to supplement our other activities. In addition to our morning “Birdie Song,” we rapped about the bones in the body, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. “Schoolhouse Rock” helped us memorize the preamble to the Constitution. And sometimes we sang…
Until a few years ago, I knew little about the practice of mindfulness, the conscious effort to live in the present moment. As I began to study and practice it, I began to recognize many benefits it offers. I sensed a stronger layer of contentment developing within myself. BY NANCY KIDD I now realize I have wasted a great deal of energy worrying about the future and replaying past events unceasingly. Because of this, I am quite certain I have…
A few weeks ago I served as the music leader at Vacation Bible School at my church. It was my third year to take on this role, and as we neared the beginning of the week-long event, I found myself wondering why I ever said “yes.” What was I thinking? Had I forgotten how exhausted I was last year by the end of the week? Now, approaching 65 and feeling more often the aches and pains of arthritis, I had…
This week I issue my heartfelt thanks to all of you for following me at Gather the Good. We have been up and running for two months now. I am thrilled by the positive responses, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you. BY NANCY KIDD I know so little about technology, but my friend/editor Laura Mabry tells me to just keep writing. She takes my words and makes them magically appear online, fancying them up with photos…
BY NANCY KIDD One of the lessons I’ve learned with age and experience is we are given spiritual gifts on a regular basis. Just as I became open to witnessing miracles regularly—and then I actually began to experience them—I believe that if I can open my eyes a little wider, I will be able to see more of the wonderful gifts that have been offered to me. After I retired from teaching at the Juvenile Detention Center, I began volunteering…