Eighty Four hours

In eighty- four hours you can accomplish a lot if you really want to. This year marked the tenth year of my annual Drug Squad Retreat. Now, after ten years of eighty-four hour weekends I can tell you I am a better person for it. Sleep and down time are at a minimum, but it's eighty- four hours that I look forward to every year. I have the privilege of watching 30 young people come together, learn to trust, open up about personal challenges and gain insight as how they are living their life. Every year I am in awe of what some of these kids have been through and how they have made the personal decision to live in a way that their words and actions are making a difference. For a sixteen or eighteen year old to have this as a desire is pretty amazing. It definitely goes against the grain of what society says we should be doing. 

Every year students who really don't know one another too well spend eighty four hours learning that to look at other's hearts, not their physical appearance and that each and every person has their own story, experiences and journey. It's not up to us to judge, but learn. In ten years every eighty four hour weekend leaves me speaking slower, listening more intently and taking in every moment with some exceptional young people. 

My hope is that the friendships forged and lessons learned will strengthen these young men and women choosing to step away from the superficial and gravitate towards substance and a life that is about health, compassion and a driven heart. Life is too short not to make a difference.