I met a young man who’s father left the family when he was just two. He had an uncle and eventually a baseball coach who would look out for him.

So he had a decent support system, but it was nothing like having his father there for him. But what he did instead of letting it control his life was he was able to focus on helping others. He ended up working with juveniles.

That is an unusual reaction.

He is more aware of what other children need to go through when they don’t have their parents support and he is conscious of looking for ways of helping others.

I was introduced to a young woman through a close friend of mine. She is 17 and her mother is a drug addict. She’s moved in with my friend temporarily because of the side effects of drug addiction. They’ve lost their apartment countless times; there is typically no food available; utilities being turned off; and the stigma of all her friends being aware of what she is exposed to in the process.

I wanted to spend some time with her to help her let go of the negative emotion that has to be a result of such exposures since she was young enough to know what it meant.