A friend of mine works as a Juvenile Corrections Officer. Her kids are, by and large, hardcore kids convicted of crimes. She told me a story about what she did at work last week that really touched me.
Apparently, her boss wanted her to try a Music Therapy group with her kids. They'd had a few sessions, and this week she decided to bring in songs that had impacted her life in some way. The kids were to listen to the song, decide what they thought it was about/how it might have impacted someone, write those thoughts down, and then they'd discuss as a group. They did that with several songs, having a short conversation about each one when they were done.
The last song that she picked to play for them was "Godspeed" by the Dixie Chicks. This was one of the songs that I chose to play at Kenneth's funeral.
The kids listened to the song, and wrote about it as instructed. My friend told me that the emotional response to the song was huge, even before she told them why the song had impacted her. She told them Kenneth's story, and they talked for over 20 minutes about it. Some of her boys were in tears-- hardcore kids with criminal records, crying over my son's story.
Later that night, one of her boys stopped her. "Ma'am, tell your friends that maybe sometimes things happen so that something else can happen. Maybe they wouldn't have had another baby so soon if that hadn't happend. Tell your friends that I'll pray for them".
It amazes me that a tiny little baby who didn't live more than a few weeks can still have such a profound impact on people that have never even met him, over two years after he went to heaven. It touches me in immeasurable ways that my Kenneth mattered, still matters, and is remembered by more than just Jacob and I. He may not have ever left the hospital, but he can help a hardened kid let down his walls and feel empathy for someone else.
That's pretty huge, if you ask me.
Apparently, her boss wanted her to try a Music Therapy group with her kids. They'd had a few sessions, and this week she decided to bring in songs that had impacted her life in some way. The kids were to listen to the song, decide what they thought it was about/how it might have impacted someone, write those thoughts down, and then they'd discuss as a group. They did that with several songs, having a short conversation about each one when they were done.
The last song that she picked to play for them was "Godspeed" by the Dixie Chicks. This was one of the songs that I chose to play at Kenneth's funeral.
The kids listened to the song, and wrote about it as instructed. My friend told me that the emotional response to the song was huge, even before she told them why the song had impacted her. She told them Kenneth's story, and they talked for over 20 minutes about it. Some of her boys were in tears-- hardcore kids with criminal records, crying over my son's story.
Later that night, one of her boys stopped her. "Ma'am, tell your friends that maybe sometimes things happen so that something else can happen. Maybe they wouldn't have had another baby so soon if that hadn't happend. Tell your friends that I'll pray for them".
It amazes me that a tiny little baby who didn't live more than a few weeks can still have such a profound impact on people that have never even met him, over two years after he went to heaven. It touches me in immeasurable ways that my Kenneth mattered, still matters, and is remembered by more than just Jacob and I. He may not have ever left the hospital, but he can help a hardened kid let down his walls and feel empathy for someone else.
That's pretty huge, if you ask me.
Posts
August 16, 2009 at 9:35 PM
That is beautiful.
August 17, 2009 at 9:42 AM
He'll ALWAYS matter.
August 17, 2009 at 6:55 PM
Wow, that is so cool. Your friend has made some serious progress with at least that kid. Empathy one of the major steps for those kids to clean up and get started on the right path. Most have never learned to look at what they do in reference to how it will effect others, so that's huge. It is amazing and awsome to know that his Kenneth's life continues to make an impression on people who didn't even know he existed while he was here. Many of us that know you and your family always remember him, but it's cool that others do too.