Christmas can be a difficult time for those who don’t have family or loved ones to be with. At the Crisis Program we recognize this and do our best to show the young people with us that we care. This year, the staff had organized an advent calendar to provide each young person with a special gift for each day in December right through to Christmas.
The gifts comprised of soaps, clothing, headphones, chocolates, and a variety of other items. While the gifts may not seem like much, for those who don’t have a family to go to, it can show and mean many things. For some, the gifts may show them that someone cares, for others it may show them that cool gifts are on the horizon and for others still, it may remind them of better times.
Some youth put on a hard exterior to hide their feelings and thoughts. Even seasoned staff members can have a difficult time reading their thoughts and feelings but on this night; it wasn’t too hard to tell what one youth thought.
Zack entered the staff office and was offered his choice of a robe. He had a face of contemplation but finally settled on a black robe and left the office with a quiet thank you. Zack disappeared into his room for several minutes and later proceeded into the common room with his arms open, “Hey, check out mine!”, Zack beamed as he spun around and showed his robe off to an impressed house mate.
With his new robe still on, Zack took a seat down on the couch to watch television with a smile. It was the first smile staff had seen from him all day. It may not seem like much, but for Zack it meant comfort.
While it still might be hard to tell, perhaps it also meant that Christmas isn’t so lousy after all for Zack. Most importantly, perhaps Zack also felt hope, hope that there is comfort and care for him in this world still. A robe may not mean much to some, but it meant a world for Zack.
Shared by Freeman, Team Leader at our Crisis Program