Your Book

I love my job at Discovery Academy.
I work with teenage boys who are finding their way in this world.
Many of them are really really lost,
and some aren't,
but they all share one thing in common:
they are at the beginning of their journeys.

Tonight I will witness my first graduation. One of my favorite kids will be venturing out on his own. He's graduating and I am very proud of him. I feel the full gamut of emotions, but most of all, I wanted to give him the secret to happiness. It may be the last time I ever see him or talk to him and I want him to have a long and full life. I want him to live up to his potential.

What did I come up with? A gifted journal with the following poem.
(I cringe to think about where I would be without the power of my own words on a page)

There are secrets inside of you
that only you will know.
The discovery and understanding
of your secrets
is your most important mission.

Don't be afraid,
don't feel alone.
You are stronger than you realize.
Don't turn away.
Look inside yourself
as your soul is pure perfection
in its complexities and flaws.

Someday in the future
when you are paralyzed
and on the verge of self-destruction,
find yourself a quiet place
and on the pages of your book
unlock your secrets
as they will truly set you free.

If you really want to know,
I promise
your secrets will flow freely,
as you sit down and write.
The words and you
will get acquainted
And when they reconcile,
you will know
who you really are.
Your soul, when revealed at last,
will bare its breathtaking uniqueness.

Your written words will create
your book of life.
If you let it, your book of life
will become your best friend.
It will disclose
your journey to happiness:
the things that were inside you all along.

Your strengths, weaknesses,
experiences, vulnerabilities, thoughts, feelings,
hurts, hangups, loves, and opinions.
Some will be right,
some will be wrong,
but all the words when placed together
will be who you really are.

Someday
because of your book
you will understand
that the only real secret
that needed to be found
was you.
Who you really are.

The real secret to your happiness:
You should be loved
by all
but especially
by your book's best friend.
because your book
like all the others
is the most remarkable.