Kentucky, pt. 2

Anna* is 16 years old. She’s overweight and ridiculed harshly at school. We came into contact with her through the truancy officer; she doesn’t go because the kids are mean. They treat her as if she is not a human. Her family is very poor and can’t afford to buy her clothes and what she has does not fit her well. But her eyes sparkle and she has a lovely smile. She is hungry for positive attention and acceptance.

I was not with the girls who took Anna shopping. I did not get to watch her try on clothes that were stylish and fit her body. I did not see her pose for pictures in her new favorite jeans. But I saw her smile when she and her new-found friends came to our cookout that afternoon. She was radiant. She glowed with the happiness of new friends and a pinch of self-confidence.

The new clothes were not the agent of change in Anna. The relationships worked all that magic. She moved with the grace of someone who is becoming comfortable with herself. She met my eyes when I introduced myself and I could tell that a seismic shift had occurred in her soul. Anna had more than bags of new clothes- she had friends and hope, perhaps for the first time ever.

*names have been changed