Road Dawg

When I worked for the YMCA I was involved with a program called Leaders Club.  This club was built upon youth not only being leaders in the way they act and the things they do but also in physical fitness.  Each year the club does things for the YMCA with the ultimate goal of  attending Leader's School during the summer.  The first year I went to Leader's School I had one leader's club member who went with me.  I didn't know much about the program so this was an opportunity for me to get better acquainted with the program.

While at that Leader's School I was introduced to Crystal Dunn who was the Teen Director for the Central YMCA in Winston Salem which was in the same association as mine.  Immediately we hit it off and became thick as thieves.  We had the same interests and tastes and most of all the same passion, our kids.  We spent that week getting to know each other and chilling on the front porch in two green rocking chairs.  It was an amazing week and the first time that I had personally connected to someone who had the same job and passion as me.  It was very exciting.

Upon returning back home we kept in constant contact and attended a lot of the same meetings together.  We helped each other's programs and made time for ourselves to get together and enjoy each other's company.  We went on lots of trips together and became road dawgs.  It was so much fun to have another adult on those trips that was my friend. We even had a meeting at a library where we talked about starting our own business together.  Every summer we would return to our rocking chairs on the porch even though both our groups had grown so much that we were now bringing lots of teens to Leader's school and needed to attend to them, we still found time for our rocking chairs.

Outside of my kids in my program telling Crystal that I was leaving the YMCA was the hardest part of leaving.  I knew that we would grow apart because we were headed in separate directions.  I miss my road dawg.  I miss her beautiful smiling face and laugh.  I miss our endless conversations about the Y and our kids.  I miss the green rocking chairs on the porch.  I miss my Crystal and I am so thankful to God for giving me the opportunity to get to know her and have her be there with me through the thick and thin of working at the YMCA. 

Thank you Crystal for everything!  I love you!