Chicagoooooo was AWESOME. I'm in love with that city. Such a cool vibe. The Jokich family hosted us for the night and organized a huge group of about 30 high school senior girls. They also had a feast of deliciousness for everyone... Sloppy Joe's....so tasty. so prime. so NOT helping the 500 pounds I will gain by the end of this production. oh well, I'm embracing it. :)
The discussion was amazing. It was interesting because the group of girls was comprised of a bunch of different "cliques". They have all been in school together since they were little girls though because its a private k-12 school. At the beginning of the discussion, there was a lot of skirting around the issue. The girls all opened up about past experiences but informed us that all of the drama from before was long gone.
Towards the end of the talk, we told them about Kind Apology (check out the app on this site). We passed out the apology cards and told them about their chance to ask forgiveness or something they have said or done to a girl in their life. The girls took the cards and started filling them out. We opened the floor and asked if anyone wanted to talk about their apology (this is optional of course). I honestly wasn't expecting anyone to participate. It was quiet for a moment. Then a girl raised her hand and asked if she could apologize to someone. She did it, and with such courage. Once she said her apology, the girls started to open up and showed us that this issue was still a very prevalent thing within their group of friends. For the next 45 minutes, the girls passed out apologies among each other, got things off their chest, and reconciled conflicts they were currently dealing with
within their groups of friends. The entire room of girls was in (happy) tears by the end of it, mending friendships and understanding one another. It was the most amazing thing to watch. Molly and I just kinda sat there and watched it all fold out in front of us. One apology sparked another and another and another and another until every single girl tearfully hugged and apologized to someone in that room. It was really beautiful.
Later that night, we were informed that one of the girls was currently looking into different schools. She wanted to switch schools because of the constant bullying she was dealing with within her group of friends. After the group discussion, she told her mom that she doesn't want to change schools anymore and that she feels happy again. man. The joy that that brings me is something I can't explain in words. It could only be explained through a song or some sort of grandiose piece of art...that sounds weird and cheesy, but, thats the only way I know how to express the feeling all this gives me.
That night, Alex took us out for a night in Wrigleyville. It was SO fun!!!!! Im a huge fan of Chicago. Such good vibes. A fun night out was a long due necessity. Each day and interview is so emotionally exhausting. I really go through the pain with the girls as they tell these stories. Its a lot to take on, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
LOVE WINS
LaUreN
No comments:
Post a Comment