“I am who I am because of what I was. I am the sum of my experiences. It is important to learn from our past, and to let go, gracefully.” I can hear the words of my teacher echoing inside me as I prepare to lead the upcoming Kairos retreat. “Kairos,” as we call this special escape, is a Greek word that means time. The retreat itself is especially profound because retreatants reflect on their lives and on the time they have spent becoming who they are now. Specifically, the theme of the Kairos that I am leading is accepting and knowing that each of us is deeply loved. Being deeply loved is something we are called to experience; to love deeply is something we are called to do. There are many ways we experience love. I experience through friends, mentors, and God. For some people, it is hard to believe in something that is not concrete; but I believe God is the ultimate source of love, and that we all have the ability to love our neighbors. Somewhat surprisingly, it can be challenging for us to allow ourselves to be loved. For me, I always want to love others; yet, I also have to be accepting of love, too. Especially when people give me gifts, I find it difficult to accept them because I always love being on the gift-giving side. So, putting others first is one of my greatest gifts and strengths, but can make accepting love difficult at times even though I deserve to be loved too. I encountered love, and the ability to accept it, through this Kairos retreat. I witnessed what felt like unconditional love, and I learned how to assist others in experiencing just how much others love them. Throughout small group time, I learned of many hardships that people I spend every day with have endured—some of these difficulties I could never imagine for myself. Sharing with others reminded me to keep my eyes and heart open to anyone who might be trying their best to ask me for help but may be too afraid to do so in an obvious way. Through my Kairos experience, I have become a better person. I have grown in my faith, love for others, and as a human being. One of my favorite statements shared during the retreat was, “You never know what someone is going through, so do not judge.” The saying is true and inspires me to have compassion above all else. People could be going through the hardest times in their lives but still act okay. Just a small act of communication with someone who is suffering, or a simple act of kindness, can do a lot to spread kindness and healing. Finally, I am inspired to center my leadership capabilities on what I have learned from leading Kairos, especially in terms of love, whether giving or accepting it, and meeting everyone with kindness first, before anything else.

“I am who I am because of what I was. I am the sum of my experiences. It is important to learn from our past, and to let go, gracefully.” I can hear the words of my teacher echoing inside me as I prepare to lead the upcoming Kairos retreat. “Kairos,” as we call this special escape, is a Greek word that means time. The retreat itself is especially profound because retreatants reflect on their lives and on the time they have spent becoming who they are now. Specifically, the theme of the Kairos that I am leading is accepting and knowing that each of us is deeply loved. Being deeply loved is something we are called to experience; to love deeply is something we are called to do. There are many ways we experience love. I experience through friends, mentors, and God. For some people, it is hard to believe in something that is not concrete; but I believe God is the ultimate source of love, and that we all have the ability to love our neighbors. Somewhat surprisingly, it can be challenging for us to allow ourselves to be loved. For me, I always want to love others; yet, I also have to be accepting of love, too. Especially when people give me gifts, I find it difficult to accept them because I always love being on the gift-giving side. So, putting others first is one of my greatest gifts and strengths, but can make accepting love difficult at times even though I deserve to be loved too. I encountered love, and the ability to accept it, through this Kairos retreat. I witnessed what felt like unconditional love, and I learned how to assist others in experiencing just how much others love them. Throughout small group time, I learned of many hardships that people I spend every day with have endured—some of these difficulties I could never imagine for myself. Sharing with others reminded me to keep my eyes and heart open to anyone who might be trying their best to ask me for help but may be too afraid to do so in an obvious way. Through my Kairos experience, I have become a better person. I have grown in my faith, love for others, and as a human being. One of my favorite statements shared during the retreat was, “You never know what someone is going through, so do not judge.” The saying is true and inspires me to have compassion above all else. People could be going through the hardest times in their lives but still act okay. Just a small act of communication with someone who is suffering, or a simple act of kindness, can do a lot to spread kindness and healing. Finally, I am inspired to center my leadership capabilities on what I have learned from leading Kairos, especially in terms of love, whether giving or accepting it, and meeting everyone with kindness first, before anything else.

There are many ways we experience love. I experience through friends, mentors, and God. For some people, it is hard to believe in something that is not concrete; but I believe God is the ultimate source of love, and that we all have the ability to love our neighbors. Somewhat surprisingly, it can be challenging for us to allow ourselves to be loved. For me, I always want to love others; yet, I also have to be accepting of love, too. Especially when people give me gifts, I find it difficult to accept them because I always love being on the gift-giving side. So, putting others first is one of my greatest gifts and strengths, but can make accepting love difficult at times even though I deserve to be loved too. I encountered love, and the ability to accept it, through this Kairos retreat. I witnessed what felt like unconditional love, and I learned how to assist others in experiencing just how much others love them. Throughout small group time, I learned of many hardships that people I spend every day with having endured—some of these difficulties I could never imagine for myself. Sharing with others reminded me to keep my eyes and heart open to anyone who might be trying their best to ask me for help but maybe too afraid to do so in an obvious way. I am inspired to center my leadership capabilities on what I have learned from leading Kairos, especially in terms of love, whether giving or accepting it and meeting everyone with kindness first, before anything else.

“I am who I am because of what I was. I am the sum of my experiences. It is important to learn from our past, and to let go, gracefully.” I can hear the words of my teacher echoing inside me as I prepare to lead the upcoming Kairos retreat. “Kairos” is a Greek word that means time. The retreat itself is especially profound because retreatants reflect on their lives and on the time they have spent becoming who they are now. Specifically, the theme of the Kairos that I am leading is accepting and knowing that each of us is deeply loved. Being deeply loved is something we are called to experience; to love deeply is something we are called to do. I encountered love, and the ability to accept it, through this Kairos retreat. I witnessed what felt like unconditional love, and I learned how to assist others in experiencing just how much others love them. Through my Kairos experience, I have become a better person. I have grown in my faith, love for others, and as a human being. One of my favorite statements shared during the retreat was, “You never know what someone is going through, so do not judge.” The saying is true and inspires me to have compassion above all else. People could be going through the hardest times in their lives but still act okay. Just a small act of communication with someone who is suffering, or a simple act of kindness, can do a lot to spread kindness and healing. Finally, I am inspired to center my leadership capabilities on what I have learned from leading Kairos, especially in terms of love, whether giving or accepting it and meeting everyone with kindness first, before anything else.

My favorite book is Piecing me Together by Renee Watson. This book was about a girl who felt out of place in her own town. The main character's name was Jade. Jade attended the wealthier school that was not in her own district. Jade's mother we learn throughout the book is one of the hardest working characters in the whole book. She works as much as she can as a caretaker to provide for her daughter and keep themselves afloat. A little into the book, Jade qualifies and gets accepted into this program called Woman to Woman. Woman to Woman was built to reach out to black teens in high school and give them a mentor. The mentors in this program are older black women who have reached success and would like to help the younger generations. Jade's mentor Maxine opens a wide range of opportunities for Jade and helps Jade provide for her family. This book is my favorite book because it shows great generosity and beliefs. The generosity showed throughout the book mainly in the program Woman to Woman. This program was intended to give a helping hand to the young women who needed someone to show them the way and create a path for their lives. There was only one problem in this program, Jade felt that if she was just another checklist and thing to put on Maxine's portfolio and all of the other mentors. Jade was able to find her voice for not only herself but all of the teens in the program. Through watching Jade's growth and confidence showed me that I can do anything I put my mind to.

“I am who I am because of what I was. I am the sum of my experiences. It is important to learn from our past, and to let go, gracefully.” I can hear the words of my teacher echoing inside me as I prepare to lead the upcoming Kairos retreat. “Kairos,” as we call this special escape, is a Greek word that means time. The retreat itself is especially profound because retreatants reflect on their lives and on the time they have spent becoming who they are now. Specifically, the theme of the Kairos that I am leading is accepting and knowing that each of us is deeply loved. Being deeply loved is something we are called to experience; to love deeply is something we are called to do. I encountered love, and the ability to accept it, through this Kairos retreat. I witnessed what felt like unconditional love, and I learned how to assist others in experiencing just how much others love them. Throughout small group time, I learned of many hardships that people I spend every day with have endured—some of these difficulties I could never imagine for myself. Sharing with others reminded me to keep my eyes and heart open to anyone who might need help. Through my Kairos experience, I have become a better person. I have grown in my faith, love for others, and as a human being. A small act of communication with someone who is suffering, or a simple act of kindness, can do a lot to spread kindness and healing. Finally, I am inspired to center my leadership capabilities on what I have learned from leading Kairos, especially in terms of love, whether giving or accepting it, and meeting everyone with kindness first, before anything else.