Children

This weekend I had the privilege to spend a few hours with one of my goddaughters, Kelly Camara. It's special because even though she's from Northern California, she resides in New York and rarely comes to Southern California. I can write all day about how special and unique she is, but what's on my mind right now is her hair. I have a montage of her on my wall from over the years, and each photo of her has a different hairstyle. Yesterday, I wasn't disappointed as she sported yet another totally different look. She's beautiful inside and out, and as always, it was great seeing her.

Though I mentor numerous young people, I only have three DNA certified god children (two ladies /NYC & LA /and one man /DC) and one adopted godson (Inland Empire). I also have a son. (Ohio). Except for the adopted godson, the rest are adults (twenties+) and have now become mentors themselves.

Mentoring comes natural for me. It's my "drug" of choice. It seems like every time I assist in ushering one into adulthood, here comes another set of thirsty young people for a positive black male role model. It's sort of cool as I converse with them, it keeps my view of the world fresh. No magic in my relationships, as I don't give advice: I do what they call "effective listening" and give them options instead of telling them what to do. (Thats their parents job).

I genuinely love each person that I mentor regardless of their imperfections; I'm far from perfect myself. I've found that these kids (16-24 are my target mentoring ages) know when you love them without always telling them. They may have their issues and totally confused during their transition into adulthood, but they truly, as they say, know what's up.

"If I can just help somebody, then my living will not be in vain".
With love,
Willie