Photo was taken yesterday evening at Whitechurch, Co.Cork (Irl)

Ciara Sheehan is all smiles as her pony ‘Tyson’ zips her jacket right up to the top. He can catch the zip at the bottom and pull it all the way up!

Thought on Wednesday – May – 02/05/2012

‘Every single young person has a unique and irreplaceable gift for the world. This is precisely for the world of today. All our schooling and rearing of young people is a tragic failure if we have not been able to open up to them and reveal to them their own particular gift for society.’ ~Dr Brendan Kelly

Anyone who has the chance to journey with young people knows it is a privileged journey. They like all of us need support, direction and encouragement. In return they bring to us abundant blessings. In particular what stands out is the energy they bring to the present moment, their sense of hope for the future and an ability to bring their own something special to whatever they do. Rather than seeing their journey as a possible failure, I would put the spotlight firmly on the huge variety of gifts they do bring to us. Sure the challenges are huge, the distractions endless and many obstacles to be found on their journey. Support structures are vital, there needs to be a willingness to listen and be non-judgmental. There has to be trust and openness. With young people you don’t need to have all the answers. Once you are willing to walk the journey with them, the rewards are beyond words. The unique and irreplaceable gift they bring means today and our world is indeed bright and full of hope.