Assembly Required

The word assemble means to gather together in one place for a common purpose.  It can also refer to the fitting together of separate component parts.  So why the vocabulary lesson?  Last weekend we held our annual gala fundraising dinner and today at work we had our first All School Assembly in quite a long time.  Maybe you can see where I'm going with this?  Both occasions were about gathering together for  the purpose I am most linked to, heart and soul.  One in fancy dresses and penguin suits and the other in mismatched outfits and tennis shoes.  But neither with less passion than the other. 

I am truly humbled every year by the generosity of those who support the work we do, especially those I have the honor to call family and friends who sit at my table(s) at our fundraising dinner.  All of these people, from different fields, economic groups and backgrounds find it in their hearts, not just their wallets to help us do what we do best:  change lives and give hope.  It's a big job, and we could't do it without them.

And then there is that assembly we had today.  It is absolutely my favorite thing at work to watch the kids be kids.  In some schools that happens all the time.  In our school kids often struggle to let go of their fear and anxiety long enough to enjoy life.  But not at assemblies.  They jammed out to the entry and finishing songs, encouraged their peers during awards time, and made speeches about the victory of being safe enough to leave treatment and move on with life.  Just like kids do at assemblies.  These moments of normalcy amidst so many moments of pain and outcast are magical.  They always have been and they are still the reason I do what I do, even though my job has shifted from the direct care world.

It is so powerful to watch people gather together for a common purpose.  But positive outcomes here also depend on fitting together the separate component parts for these kids.  It is about igniting donors to give just a little (or a lot) more with an inspiring speech that speaks the truth of the work we do, about integrating experiences, both traumatic and not,  in our kids' minds and bodies so they can live a fuller life, and it is about letting a kid make a speech and drop the mic on the floor even when it is not planned because she is proud and we are proud of her.  The system that surrounds our kids is undoubtedly in turmoil and is mismatched to their needs.  But we are working on fitting the separate components together, bit by bit, to make it function as a whole. 

I got to experience both of these great times in the last week.  One in a fancy dress and the other in jeans.  Both brought lots of laughter and applause (and some tears too), as they should have. Because with this work and with these kids, assembly is required.