From A Great-Grandmother...
...To You.
I can't honestly say that I was particularly looking forward to it...
But all that changed with my second conversation of the event.
As I explained my role at school for the first time of the evening, a lady stood off at a slight distance and listened carefully as she held the hand of an elementary school boy. When my original listeners walked away, she approached me cautiously. As she began to speak, her voice choked and I didn't really catch what she was trying to tell me. She paused to collect herself and then repeated what she had said very quietly. "I am his great-grandmother. I just want to thank you for the BRIDGES of GRACE. If it weren't for that, he couldn't be here. Thank you."
Rebuked for my self-concern and refueled for the evening, I considered what she had said. Before the evening was over, a mother with her teenaged daughter by her side had a very similar message. "Thank you. We are here because of that (BRIDGES of GRACE)."
"Thank you." I knew both then and now that those words don't really belong to me. They belong to you. Every one of you who either gave to or prayed for the BRIDGES of GRACE.
As we begin again, so does the need. It is as recurring as the cycle of school years. You don't have to wait for the first promotion or special event to support this cause. Get the blessing now. And let us say again...