Thoughts on a retreat

So... I just got off a pretty tough retreat. It was a total of about 5 hours with 97 young people! The sheer numbers presented a challenge, but when the young people arrived, it became clear that their attitudes would be a struggle as well. There was one boy in particular who was pretty obnoxious in sessions. He was making fun of people for their opinions, and blatantly disrespecting both the adults and his peers.

This continued all day - until it came time to get ready for mass. He chose the music group (the group I was heading up). Well, I braced myself for another challenging session, and when I offered the option of playing drums, he jumped at it. I was pretty worried at this point. Obnoxious boy with drum is not usually a good combination. Except this time it was. The minute he got his hands on it, his mood changed, and his response to requests was transformed. He was a great drummer, and really cared about what he was doing. Amazing what music will do for a young person.

But it's more than music. Maybe each of us has those one or two things that will change our attitude. Those things that we truly love, that make us feel alive. I can't help but thing God gave us these things so that we could both enjoy life and give to this great world. We can give through the actual activity and through the attitude it produces in us.

I read a passage in a book about capacities - that all you need to be happy in life is to have the capacity to enjoy a few things -only 2 or 3. But those things are the ones that keep you going. The old man in the book loved opera, his garden, and kids. I'm still searching to discern mine, but currently in the running are: Outside, Music, Theatre, and Meaningful Relationships. What are yours? Please tell me about them - it is truly amazing to hear people talk of their passions. A real gift.