Remember the Way Home

     When I was 5 years old, my dad started Applied Life College. Every September, we welcome with open arms, into our hearts and our lives, a group of young people. We have them in our homes, they bond with our children, they sit around our dinner tables and on our couches, they join us for family movie nights and birthday parties, we hold them when they cry, make them soup when they are sick, we rejoice when they overcome and push when they need motivation.... and then, after 9 months, they leave.
     We hug their necks, pray for them one last time and watch them walk out the door, all the while, praying that they remember all they have learned. It is a heart wrenching pattern that my life has followed for 27 years. To make it harder and at the same time, easier, about 3 weeks after they leave, another group of amazing young people bombard our lives. Summer camp begins and with it, bring the laughter of our All Summer Staff. Even though our time with them is much shorter in comparison, the impact they have on our hearts is just a deep. After they have made an everlasting mark on our lives, they leave.
     We hug their necks, pray for them one last time and watch them walk out the door, all the while praying that they remember all they have learned. Today, I said goodbye to the LA students, like I do every May. We have 2 weeks before the staff arives on the ranch and it is amazing how quiet this time in our life is. So many people have walked through the revolving door that is our hearts leaving their own special footprint on their way. Even though these times are difficult, I am thankful for each season. 
     It has always been my prayer that these young people who find their paths crossing ours will find a connection with our home that runs deeper than the events of life. I pray that those who have been raised in broken homes find stability in ours. I pray that no matter where life takes these young people, no matter where they live or who they become, no matter how far away from us they get, whether they come from our college or our summer camp, no matter how many years they may gone,

That They Will Never Forget Their Way Home.

Dedicated to the Applied Life College and Internship Students and the Brookhill Ranch All Summer Staff