"Give it Time" Goose

Give it time/ Go ahead and give it hell/ Give it all you’ve got/ Or give it up for something else/ It’s a revelation/ It’s a hallelujah/ It’s the nature of the spirit running through ya/ So take it easy/ Just begin again/ Take a step back from the racе that you’ve been running in/ It’s the next song coming on thе radio/ Just when you need it/

The first time I heard this song I was driving to work-- it was a dark, cold February morning last year.

I was struggling with a student who had definite potential to succeed, but was checked out. A high school senior with no plan in front of him, and so far behind it would take a miracle ( or an understanding teacher) to get him across the finish line.

I found out that he was the oldest of 3, and a few years back his father was yelling at the kids for whatever odd reason--probably to clean up their messy rooms. Apparently his youngest brother, who was in middle school at the time, went to his room, closed the door, and killed himself.

James was the one to discover the body.

The whole family was wrecked by the tragedy. That certainly changes things when you know something so painful about a person. Makes you want to fight harder for them.

James didn't attend graduation, so there was no proper goodbye, good luck from me, so I never knew of his wherabouts or future plans, if he made any. I hate not having closure.

Over Christmas while dining at Michael's Uptown, I saw him with his dad. There was a sadness about the two men quietly eating in silence, but when I greeted James, he was excited to see me. He spoke of his new life-- ranching out west somewhere. His dad beamed proudly. We hugged and I left, happy for that closure.

Give it Hell, James. Give it Hell.