Yesterday at church we had a guest preacher.  The bulletin said he is doing doctoral research in the brain-based nurture of character development and is an expert in moral development of children and youth with decades of experience working with young people.  (Gosh, could I sit thru this?)  The readings for the day were 2 Kings 2.1-15 and Ephesidans 4-1-7, 11-16 and the Gospel of Mark 6:45-52.  It is usual in our church that the sermon expands/interprets the Gospel and I wondered how he was going to handle this.  He did a Great job and had the entire congregation intently listening.

One of his main points was how important it is for children, and in fact for all of us, to have a mentor in our life.  Yes, this did tie in with the lessons.  This is a favorite premise of mine because I can name the mentors in my life and know they shaped my youth and what I was to become.  I have mentored many young people and know I had a great influence on their life.  I am in contact with many of them today.  I served as a CASA advocate to form a trusting one-on-one relationship with a child and represented that child's interest in court.
 
I remember in particular a mentor who helped me thru some troubling times.  Washington, D.C. where I grew up was a very Southern town in my day and as such was segregated.  There were very fine schools for the white and not so good ones for the black.  I was picked by the Pharos Honor Society to represent Washington in a youth congress.  Other young people came to Washington from Philadelphia, Richmond, Baltimore and New York City.  We planned a big conference.   Since our meeting was in my home town I was to host it.  No problem you think.  Big problem!  One of the delegates was black.  Since this was about 1936 and believe me no black could eat in a restaurant there, attend a theater and  could not attend a white church unless they sat in the balcony. ( I never saw one there. )

Now, here is how my mentor helped me.  Was I prejudiced against the young man who came to Washington as an honor student ,who had competed and won the award?  No, I wasn't.  Arrangements were made for him to stay in a black hotel.  We held our meetings in my school.  The big problem was there was to be a celebratory dinner at the close of the conference and not a single public place in Washington where blacks and whites could sit down together could be found.  I made the decision that we would not have the dinner if he couldn't attend.  My wonderful mentor was my Sunday School teacher and she asked me if I could arrange a dinner in a private home.  I did not give a thought to having it in my own home.  Heavens Forbid.  My family hadn't come that far yet.  In fact it was a long time coming for some family members! 

Well, not to worry, My mentor, and I can see her loving face before me now, said she would give the dinner in her own home.  She set a beautiful table, crystal, china and silver and cooked a wonderful dinner.  There were 12 of us gathered at her table.  She and her husband served us.  It was a first experience for us.  We were truly color blind that night.  All of us remembered that first encounter with a friend and knew that he was just like us.  To this day I recall my wonderful Sunday School teacher and through her love our little group recognized God in our presence.