Matthew Donohue's Blog
Last blog / 07.25.08, 03:31 PM
Over the last month my schedule has changed a little bit. I still work at the adult literacy program in the morning but in the afternoon I no longer help with the after school program because its summer. Instead I help setup and referee basketball games at Urban Promise. I also help with a computer class for street leaders (high school students who work for Urban Promise).
Since it is the summer I have had more opportunities to be with my neighbors and it has been great. It’s hard to believe that I will be leaving Camden soon. I feel like I will be leaving so much behind. As I think back about my year here I wonder what I will miss the most.
I remember reading an article in Sports Illustrated. I got a yearly subscription from my mom for Christmas; something to help me keep up with my sports since I don’t have a TV. Thanks mom. The article was about the sportsman of the year. It was Brett Favre. He was asked what his fondest memories were. He said, “It’s not only about the touchdowns and the big victories. If I were to make a list, I would include the interceptions, the sacks, the really painful losses. Those times when I’ve been down, when I’ve been kicked around, I hold on to those. In a way those are the best times I’ve ever had, because that’s when I’ve found out who I am and what I want to be.”
I think my fondest memories will be the same. The things I will cherish the most are my experiences, the really tough things that I had to deal with; that day I had to watch three friends pick up and move because the cops told them they had to leave, those friends at the adult literacy program that just didn’t come back one day or were kicked out and I never got to say goodbye, those kids at the after school program that I never could quite reach. Sure these memories made me feel like crap, but it was through these tough times that I really learned about myself and what I wanted to be.
There are also a lot of good memories. I loved having one last meal with Bill, Sarge and Tony. It was kind of like a last meal together before we had to say goodbye. I loved all the times I spent with the trainees at the adult literacy program, not just the time I helped them with book work but just being able to talk with them about life. Sure they were hard to deal with sometimes and sometimes they made bad decisions and I just wanted to slap them on the back of the head and force them to make the right decisions. I also loved spending time with the kids at the after school program. I had an absolute blast playing with them when I wasn’t forcing them to do homework. They were a real joy to be around and there were many days when those little kids really just made my day.
Thanks, to all who made all of these experiences possible for me. I greatly appreciate it. I would like to thank all of my supporters, whether you donated money, sent me cards, prayed for me or supported me in any other way. It was very much appreciated. I am glad you have been able to journey with me throughout this year.
Here is a little story I learned while doing Mission Year. I think it really helped me this year and I would like to share it with you all.
Imagine…
You are being pursued by a ferocious tiger. You run as fast as you can but come to the edge of the cliff. Glancing back, you see the tiger about to spring. Fortunately, you also notice a rope hanging over the edge of the cliff. You grab it and scramble down, out of reach of the tiger. A close escape!
But now you look down. Five hundred feet below you see jagged rocks. So you look up. You see the tiger, crouched and waiting…and also two hungry mice, already gnawing on the rope.
What to do?
Nearby, on the face of the cliff, you notice a strawberry. Carefully, you reach out, pluck it, and eat it whole. “Yum!” you exclaim. “That’s the most delicious strawberry I ever tasted in my whole life!”
What does this story tell us? Seize the gift of this moment! If you are preoccupied with the rocks below or the tiger above-with your past or your future-you will miss the strawberry that God wants to give you in the present moment.
Matthew Donohue
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