There was a hard lesson to learn this past week. One I certainly already knew in many ways, especially with the counseling and crisis management training I've had both in the job and in the classroom, but starting my own charity and putting my own ideals to work on a completely new project was risky. I've always been one to take risks, and I've also always been one for much self reflection too. This week's blog came late specifically because I've been stewing and thinking and trying to figure it all out.
The bottom line is that Chris is okay. He's actually doing quite well - he managed to get a full time job with his step-brother after being out only one week. Jennifer and I were pretty amazed at that luck, but really it spoke to the hard work ethic and raw talent Chris has. He's very smart too, and takes a lot of pride in doing for himself and being a man of his own. But Chris isn't exactly a great communicator, especially after being locked up for so long, and when he started to feel a bit smothered and too much a "charity" case, he resisted. We just didn't realize that's why he didn't want to talk to us all that much. He very much appreciated all the help we threw at him, but once he started working and earning money all on his own, he was happy to be able to take pride in his own ability to make his way. In other words, we needed to back off a little but we didn't know it. We smothered him with our kindness and generosity! And then we got our feelings hurt when he fell (almost) silent.
Rest assured that all is well now, but growing pains do happen. There was a moment when we both considered letting the coalition go. I guess when feelings get hurt we question things, but the point is that with each step we take in this new adventure we learn a little bit more about Chris, about what it must be like being a new man on the outside, and about ourselves. It's not all unicorns and rainbows, but I'm proud to say it's all good (enough) for me.
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