What I’ve Learned in a Year: Kristen O’Sullivan
This time last year I was focused on getting to know the kids of TCCC and their parents. It is interesting looking back at which of the children reached out first. Not the extroverted ones necessarily. More often it was the ones that maybe needed a little bit of shelter in a classroom full of friends. When I visit a class in the midst of their activities and constant action, I’m not wanting to interrupt and so the child that’s maybe not in full swing or is feeling a bit of discord is the one I end up drawn to. And what joy it is to steal a few minutes with someone that just wants a cuddle or quiet conversation. Wow, do I love them.
They make my day, everyday. I’ve said on many occasions that I drive home with a smile on my face. I don’t need to unwind or let go of stress — during the day I get to go sit with a child that asks for nothing more than a cradle or a tiny loving moment. When I arrived at Tabs last January, the children were wide open and they simply just reached out and I got to be there for them. And so everyday when I drive home with that smile on my face it’s because I know what a blessing that is.
In today’s world we are faced with conflicts that we can’t fix. We can’t mend the social injustices, we can’t heal the sick child, we can’t halt a devastating storm, we can’t unite a family torn apart…and we’re left feeling helpless, our hands tied, horrible inside. Yet here I am, blessed daily. I get to go to work and I get to be there for someone. Someone super cute, super small, who doesn’t judge and doesn’t expect. I get to steal a moment with someone that has no agenda and be there, and the world out there isn’t quite as horribly sad.
This year, I am reminding myself of all things I get to do. All the chores, all the tasks, all the mundane….I get to do for my girls, my home, my work (my kids). I get to, because I am blessed with all of those things, actually, especially those things.
