Lady A

My faith in the future of this nation was restored in a matter of hours last night. I was selected to be a judge for a competition called Youth Tour. Co-ops across the country select high school juniors to attend a leadership program in Washington D.C. for a week. The kids are required to submit and application and then interviewed. We selected three winners last night and let me tell you, competition was tough!

These kids were sharp. They were bright and shiny and open to the challenges of this big ole world and I was IMPRESSED. When our first candidate left the room after his interview I said ALEX FOR PRESIDENT. He is a Polish lad and grew up on a dairy farm. Needless to say, he was one of our selections and I'll be looking for him in the Times.

But this girl, Lady A, changed my life. She began with the two things in life she is most proud of: her faith and her achievements. She set goals for herself way back in 7th grade and has stayed on track so far. She was recently promoted, at 17, to manager at the restaurant where she works. She discussed her desire to veer away from the popular crowd and parties and drinking and discovered putting God first made those decisions simple.

When asked what hard thing she has overcome in her life, she explained her parents split when she was five and tears began to well. I could feel my heart sink into the soles of my boots. Betty. Twelve years later this young spirit was still overwhelmed with sadness. Her words literally made my heart ache. As she explained, I realized her situation was much more dire than Betty's but I could not help but notice how close she was to its impact. In the end, Lady A was chosen as one of the three (of 16) contestants to attend Youth Tour in Washington D.C. Myself and the other two judges agreed. She is a leader already and has so much to offer this world. Mature, kind, responsible, outgoing, wise, and much more. And as the accolades were given, I realized what an incredible human was before me. She rose from the ashes of her situation and makes the very best of her life each and every day. She has not only endured but surpassed.

Divorce is brutal. I loathe it with all my being but there is hope. Not only for Lady A and for Betty B but for all of us who have endured, surpassed and tried once again....