KC will be Coming of Age next church year!

That's KC in the pageant at church this December.  That guy is going to be in the Coming of Age class.  As in NEXT YEAR!  I can't quite wrap my head around that.  KC is my fey child; a lover of music, dance, art and magic.  Not ready to give up fantasy, yet also funny, intuitive and smart.  Coming of Age will be great for him. It will challenge him enough for growth but give him the steadiness and security of beloved friends and compassionate adults around him while he does that.

This past week our Religious Ed director asked the kids who they would choose as a possible mentor.  Mentors are really important in this process.  Good ones are more than there on Sunday mornings.  In Rob's case, the mentor really has become a true friend and they seek one another out at fellowship time.  Rob finished COA many years ago, so it is a testament to the program and the participants.

KC chose Jane, an artist who attends our church and with whom he has been friends for years.  He took some art lessons from her for a time and loved that.  Jane gets the softer side of KC--he's not the guy who wants to go throw a football around with another guy.  He cheers on the Patriots but doesn't really follow anything else.  And he still dances in the aisles of our local supermarket.  Jane is a perfect fit for him.  A mom of 2 boys herself, she is also quirky, emotional and uber talented.  She will simultaneously help our boy grow roots and spread wings.

But KC in his own quiet way, also is an agent for change here.  In all the years our church has offered this program, kids have unfailingly chosen their mentors along gender lines.  Till KC.  It would just never occur to him to do that.  He likes guys, and has guy friends but there is a dearth of artsy guys in our church at the moment and that is the component in a personality that he craved the most.  Our director was fine with it, Jane was honored, KC does not know yet that his wish was granted.

Now I'll go sniff and remember the wee little fellow who used to fit in doll clothes when we brought him home.