Enough Said

Noah and Alex are two of Aaron's cousins. Noah, the bigger boy, has worked on imitating Aaron's football pose for YEARS. The look on his face is how he sees Aaron's look in the picture. However, now I wonder if it might be showing a little sadness as well as toughness.

Alex looks to his big brother the way Noah looked too his "Big Buddy Aaron".

Tom

The Boys Project

www.BoysProject.net

Months ago I wrote about the beginnings of The Aaron Meyer Foundation and had no idea where the Foundation would go. Less than a year later, I'm humbled by the ride. Not only has the Foundation discovered it's mission, doors and windows to the world as Aaron lived it are opening for us to see inside.

A couple of weeks ago I heard Chris Farley's brother Tom, tell Patrick "You know Patrick, you and I have more in common than your Dad and I. You and I lost brothers." Tom was able to raise Patrick's emotions with that simple admission. Suddenly Chris Farley's big brother was Patricks friend with an in-common hurt. That's male bonding at its best.

This week Shelly Dutch of Connections Counseling, working with teens and college students in recovery, invited me to a conference on boys. I listened to people virtually tell Aaron's story in describing the challenges facing boys in America.

From reading the book Why Gender Matters by Doctor Sax, we discovered The Boys Project and their mission to Help Boys Become Young Men. The Director Judy Kleinfeld has read some of this blog on Aaron and asked about the mission of The Aaron Meyer Foundation. The Boys Project reminds me of Aaron's experience at Mount Bachelor Academy and the wilderness work he did at SUWs; learning to be a young man who knows about himself and directing his energy to constructive work.

In the last week I've heard over and again the phrase: Using your strength to help. Those opportunities were always there for me in years gone by. However, if I recognized the opportunity, I let someone else do the work. I was more likely to think those could be things for me to do in my later years. Today is a later year and tomorrow may never be.

Feeling energized by seeing what's always been there and beyond my vision.

Peace
Tom