Beat the Odds

We played for the Beacon House kids again tonight. The Beacon House is a temporary home for disadvantaged youths. Steve had a small stages show tonight and couldn't join us so Jilda and I played some old traditional songs. Some of the same kids were there from last time and they actually remembered (and requested) songs. We convinced some of the girls to come up and sing and I was blown away.
We always weave some motivational stuff in with our songs. Not sure if any of the words hit the mark with these kids, but we always give it a shot. The child care workers always ask the kids to stand and say their names, tell their ages and say where they are from. I asked them to include what they want to do when they grow up.
As they went around the room, some wanted to be nurses, one kid wants to be a welder and construction worker; one wants to play football; and a few wanted to be singers/performers/actors. I love to plant that seed whenever I can. It's never to early to get kids to thinking about their future. I think it is important for them to visualize a better life.
Jilda, who should probably be a motivational speaker, encourages them to dream big but to work each day towards those dreams. I was inspired myself.
I closed by saying that my prayer for them is to go out an do something remarkable. The cards are stacked against them, but chose to believe some of them will beat the odds.