Author: Robert Shelden

Innocent Girls and Undeniable Gifts

Guest Post by Robert Shelden

Moving swiftly across the schoolyard from the parking lot, I spot Paris in the center of the asphalt blacktop.  She’s surrounded by a crowd of school officials. She’s squatting with her chin gently resting on top of her knees, her brow furrowed, and her bottom lip tucked under a new permanent front tooth.  Her right hand grasps her left wrist, her thin pale arms wrapped around her bare legs.  She rocks back and forth on her heels.  One shoe lies on its side nearby; its coiled laces draped in the permanent puddle formed by daily sprinkler overspray.  The other shoe is nowhere in sight.

Paris exudes defeat.  Continue reading “Innocent Girls and Undeniable Gifts”

Christmas and the Praying Mantis

Christmas is a time for merriment; a time for caroling and inveterate expletives uttered at the strings of outdoor Christmas lights that inexplicably won’t light.  Yet beyond the generally festive mood, sometimes lurks a bit of Holiday tension.  At my house, this light-hearted strain  manifests itself as the perennial disagreement between me and my wife over the Christmas tree: artificial or real.  Just when the scrape has scabbed over from the previous year, here we are, picking at it as if trying to peel back the sticker on a Dole banana.

Continue reading “Christmas and the Praying Mantis”

Helping 106 – The First Step

Overcoming The Fear Of The First Step
By Robert Shelden

We’ve published a series of posts about “Helping” in the past, and Robert’s discussion of CYAR (Colorado Youth At Risk) is a great addition to that series. Welcome to the forum Robert, and thanks for the contribution!

A number of years ago, I was exposed to a non-profit, youth mentoring organization called CYAR (Colorado Youth at Risk).  CYAR focuses on transforming the lives of teenage students through community -based mentoring and intensive training.   Like many people, I had a desire to “give back” to my community in some meaningful way and CYAR appeared to match my social values. Continue reading “Helping 106 – The First Step”