Yes Sir, Yes Ma'am.

I had the privilege of hanging out with one of our transitional living guys for a while today. He needed a ride home, and I was available to take him. On the way there, he received two phone calls, both pertaining to a job he had applied for . Here is how it went: "Yes sir, this is _________. Yes sir, that is really good news. Yes sir, I will be there Monday morning. Yes sir, thank you, sir." Next call: "Yes, this is ______________. Oh, hello. Yes, I would love some good news. Yes ma'am, that is awesome news. Yes ma'am. Ok, ma'am. Yes ma'am, I'm going to be there Monday morning. Thank you so much ma'am for calling. It was nice to meet you over the phone, ma'am."

So here's a lesson for all you people out there who think teens are incorrigible, rude, thoughtless, self-centered, etc. Here is a young man who has every right to be bitter, angry, belligerent, and rude; but instead, against all odds, is polite, well-mannered, grateful, positive, and a joy to be around. Lesson: stop stereotyping teens.

By the way, he starts at Mountain View Community College in January.

What a gift it is for me to be able to be around such miraculous young people.