THE MAKING OF A MENTOR...

Often I am asked who I mentor for,
Usually the persons asking want me attached to an organization,
Of some type, I am not…officially,
Then the question becomes how did you become a mentor,
And that is a bit more convoluted,
I think it started when I was in fourth grade and was asked by Mrs. Townsend,
A second grade teacher to help her with her class twice a week,
She wanted me to talk about the joy of reading to kids,
Two years younger than me!
As the years progressed I always found myself in a situation where I was being asked to talk to someone about something,
I guess it was because I was always older than my years,
And being almost six feet tall by thirteen gave me a sense of growness,
And I carried myself (so they say) as if I knew some thangs…Whew!
Anyway by the time I was grown, a mother and educated,
I had gained a rep of sorts for being a straight talking, honest, willing to reveal myself to help someone else kind of a woman,
By the time I actually became employed as a counselor,
I had already put in work,
In years of late,
Most of the young women I try to assist,
Were recommended to me by my sons, (MY BOYS THINK I CAN DO ANYTHING!)
Or someone who has seen me at work,
And I try,
In a few cases I have been unable to do a thing,
But often I listen,
Suggest,
And try to model behaviors that someone would want to emulate,
Mostly I share what I have been through and have overcome,
In order to be here and do the things I have done,
As the kids say,
‘I keep it real…’
Or try to…
Because I believe it is absolutely necessary for those of us,
Who have rolled through somebody’s hood,
And made it out relatively intact,
To share with as many as we can,
That though it is not a crystal staircase by any means,
It is definitely doable,
That even when we fall off track we have to get back up and get back on,
And most importantly as an elder,
I remember being young and silly,
And made (make) mistakes all the time,
But I know for sure that judging young people won’t change a thing,
Though we do have to love them tough and hold them accountable,
But they have got to know that we love them,
Believe in them,
And want what is best for them,
Even when they don’t…know that for themselves...

BE BLESSED!
Angelia
www.angeliavmenchan.com