TLTransition: A Glimmer of Hope

Yesterday, I helped coordinate something that FEMA Corps Class 20 Team Leaders are calling TLTransition. This was a half-baked idea back in January that came to fruition yesterday. Not often do I take the time to recognize myself, but today calls for such personal gratitude.

Back in January after my first ever AmeriCorps NCCC Transition, I had a nice long chat with the Team Leaders I was deployed with. Between the four of us, we realized one very heart-breaking thing—we haven’t had Team Green time since October 2013…and likely won’t have it again until June 2014 unless someone did something about it.

For reasons that I don’t yet fully understand myself, I decided to be that someone. I submitted a memo with the request to campus in February, lobbied the on-campus Team Leaders for support to do some of my leg work, got the item addressed by the Deputy Region Director of Unit Leadership, asked for Team Leader input and ideas, got the proposal approved and on the schedule, and finally, put together an entire day of activities for Team Green to foster support, love, and problem solving.

Yesterday was that day. Team Green reunited with tears, laughter, and common frustrations…and the rest of the world disappeared. For small snippets of time throughout the day, we felt like the only people on the Southern Region campus; we were friends telling jokes and ridiculous stories; we were individuals reminiscing on joyful, challenging, and emotional experiences. We were Team Green again…devoid of Corps Members.

 

So rarely in the past 9 months have I had the opportunity to think about myself but I suppose that’s what they meant when they said “servant leadership”. Because of the demands imposed on us as Team Leaders, the only time I truly get to take a break is when I’m too sick to think straight. Luckily, I didn’t have to be curled up in pain, emotionally distressed, or sleeping in order to take care of myself yesterday—and thank God for that.

So constantly in my life, I have said I’m going to do XY and Z…and I hardly follow through with anything. This year has taught me that following through is absolutely necessary. What if I hadn’t pushed so hard from January to April for this time with Team Green? Hell, we probably would have survived…but we would have had lot less hope and a lot more cynicism. And trust me when I say that being hopeless this close to the end is not easy.

I am not in a good place right now. Not with my team, not with the job, not with my superiors. I’ve lost a lot of hope and a lot of faith in those who are supposed to make this year meaningful.

But I know that when this year is over, when all is said and done, I will reflect back on my experiences—all the good and all the bad—and I will find value.

I know for a fact that I will carry some of these friendships with me the rest of my life, I have professional contacts that will help me in my future endeavors, and hell—I might have met the person I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. These are all beautiful, glorious, unforgettable take-aways from this year.

Team Green is why I fell in love with this program. Team Green is where I get leadership experience and appreciation. Team Green is my support system, my foundation for joy, my rock. I have fallen in love with every person who makes up this entity and I hope to never lose sight of just how important that has been for my year of service.

Thank you for sharing all my joys and all my struggles. I will never forget how pertinent you are to my success. I will walk to the ends of the Earth for you, Team Green. You are my family.

You make this all worth it.