The Seniors

I had gone to a private school for my 8th grade year, and chose to attend a high school outside of my “zone.” Unlike most freshman who follow the friends and 200 or so classmates they’ve had since kindergarten, or at least middle school, I was one of 12 people from my middle school to go to Washington. Two strange things happened: I was signed up for band even though I didn’t really want to do it (I ended up sticking with it for a few years anyway). Secondly, a few random seniors took a special interest in me. For no reason at all. They were all popular in their class, homecoming queen/king types. I was a freshman with a small group of friends who didn’t really know her place or where she belonged. One of these seniors stands out especially to me, and her story will be for another time. This week I wanted to share about three others who took me under their wing and made me feel less alone.

I met her through a mutual friend. She was cool and sporty and had a lot of friends. Still, she made time for me, took me out for lunch, prayed with and for me at prayer group. She didn’t laugh at me when I told her about my silly problems and she validated my thoughts and feelings. She was a kind, gentle heart who loved well and never made people feel as if they were less than her, even though a lot of us were. She had a smile that made the worst day better and a spirit that loved first and never boasted, but instead sought to recognize the human in everyone she met.

He had a big personality, a loving heart. He was goofy and fun. He too validated all of us underclassmen, but wasn’t afraid to speak up when things got complicated, or when someone was just, in his opinion, wrong. He was talented, but not haughty. He was generous and did the right thing. I remember laughing a lot around him and knowing that I would have a friend in him, even if we never got to be incredibly close. After he graduated, he would occasionally come back for events. I saw him one time during an intermission, and I remember wanting to say hi, but it was one of those situations where I wasn’t 100% sure how close we were, and I didn’t want to interrupt a conversation. I waved as I walked by, but he stopped me, asked how my year was going and what the Lord was doing in my life. That one small act has stood out to me ever since — and I wanted to be “that guy.” That guy who was always ready to have a good time, but could stop and ask an acquaintance how things were going, regardless of time and the space we were in.

In a somewhat bold move, I decided to play soccer. I wasn’t good, I just wanted to be active and meet some new people. So I showed up for “spring training.” This was another one of those strange things that happened. I signed up and then showed up, and realized just how bad I actually was. For spring training, we all practiced together. The 9/10 team, the Junior Varsity, and the Varsity players all scrimmaged, ran, and worked out together. It’s because of this that I met her, and she made me feel less like an idiot as the varsity girls ran farther and faster, and played better and bigger soccer. She was a JV girl and drove me to practice every day. But her willingness to admit that she wasn’t a great soccer player and to say that she was there to be active and meet some people, was all I needed to build the confidence I needed to make it through my first season. 

There are probably 5 more stories like this I could tell you. Juniors and Seniors alike who reached back to help those coming behind them. They weren’t worlds ahead of me in terms of maturity or growth, but they’d been through the things I’d been through. They’d had silly problems, been challenged, and felt behind everyone else. Instead of complaining and being miserable about where they’d come, they reached back and chose to encourage those coming behind them who were facing the same things they had, just a few years before. The biggest lesson I learned from them was to do the same — to reach back and love, encourage, and give confidence to those coming behind me. It’s different and more difficult to do in life after school, but there are always people around us who can use validation for their thoughts, someone to ask them how they’re doing for real, and to give a reality check.