I think Eryxon might smile

A long time ago, almost another lifetime, I was engaged to a man named Eryxon. We were not destined to be together but even after we split up and went our seperate ways with other people and different lives, we remained close friends. Through a tragic happening, Eryxon was murdered in a horrible and brutal way that I will not relay here. Needless to say, I still think of him often.
Eryxon had a hard life. He lived through a failed adoption, several terrible foster situations and life on the street. When I lived with him, he would often speak fondly of the time he had spent at Denver's Urban Peak. Urban Peak is an organization that helps troubled and homeless youth. Tonight I got to experience Urban Peak first hand.
I went to Urban Peak for a Karma Yoga Project sponsored by Core Power. Basically, they have started to ask volunteers to cook dinner for the kids at Urban Peak once a month. I decided to get involved with this event because I work with teens and I thought it would be cool. It was! The kids were so polite and grateful. I found this refreshing since I teach the 9th and 10th grade and sometimes I worry about the future of the planet when I watch my students. I got to sit with some kids who were super friendly. I learned that most of the kids living at the shelter are already high school graduates. That also inspired me. I got to speak at length in Spanish to a young man from Puerto Rico. He said my Spanish was better than his English but I think I understood less of what he said than he thought I did. I did catch the jist of his story though. It seemed he had part time work but wanted full time so he could get his own place. Another young man told me proudly that he was high school graduate with a job and that he was just "staying there" temporarily. He told me that teachers were just about the most important people there are. I was flattered. There was another guy who told me he had dropped out after the 6th grade but he was going to get his G.E.D. I asked the lady in charge how I could help with G.E.D. prep and she told me where to call. When I left, the kids thanked me graciously. I apologized for bringing a teenager-innappropriate pasta salad. They said, "Naw Ms. we liked it." So cute...
When I drove away I had a huge smile on my face. I was singing, "Love is a temple, love is a higher law... We get to carry each other..." I kept thinking to myself, "Eryxon would smile if he saw me with the kids." Wow, that felt amazing!