"What's in this dip anyway?"

No, this is not a blog about how to make some recipe like artichoke and spinach dip. So if your mind is set on discovering the next great recipe move on. Although deep down inside, I would like to know how to make this dip. I am referring to the time my girlfriend and I were having lunch at an Olive Garden. See, we were having what I thought was an intriguing conversation about the direction of our youth, when I asked her, "What are you thinking right now?" She just blurted out, "I wonder what they put in this dip." I couldn't believe she was not more interested in what I had to say, but it certainly got me thinking.
This story is about a young man and the direction he has taken. His name is Jason and he happens to be my girlfriend's nephew. All week long my girlfriend had tried to persuade me to go to dinner with her family to celebrated Jason's recent graduation. I was extremely hesitant and afraid. I had Jason as a student a couple of years ago and that was the same time he had been expelled from school. As I get older, forgetfulness seems to overwhelm me at times. The only thing I remember is that Jason was a student full of anger and hatred. I had a difficult time getting along with him. We are two different people. I had to talk to his guidance counselor to get information about who this kid is in my classroom. He had told me that he has serious anger issues and don't ever point him out in front of the class. "Jason loves guns and he is a bit of a sharp shooter", he said. Great, I thought. A student who loves guns and has an anger problem. I thought to myself this is the perfect recipe for disaster. All I can remember from Jason is that I had kicked him out for an altercation he had with a female student and next thing you know I would never see him again until now.
Yes, my girlfriend was able to drag me to this dinner. The whole time, in the car, I am thinking to myself, what the "hell" is he going to say to me? Is he going to hate me for kicking him out and getting him expelled? All these negative thoughts surrounded my mind. Well, here we are. I walked in behind my girlfriend and right away I see Jason. I could hardly even recognize him except for his smile. He was clean cut, smiled from ear to ear, very polite and had an "aura" that I thought I would never see in him. There was a peace in him that could literally brighten the room. We would end up talking all throughout dinner.
My curiosity got the best of me and I asked him what exactly happened that day. He told me he had gotten into an argument with a black student. She accused him of a racist remark. I did step in between them, but the accusations continued. I ended up throwing him out of class. Security would then pick him up and escort him to the main office. Authorities were then called in and he was charged with assault.
Jason would assure me that he harbored no ill-feelings toward me or anybody else involved. With the continual support of family and his girlfriend, he has learned from his mistakes and is able to control his emotions much better than before. It was then that I would think to myself, I wish we can all learn from our mistakes. Jason has forgotten about the past and looks forward to the future. He will continue his education in Maine, where he hopes to become a park ranger. As we walked out together, I would whisper to him, "I am so proud of you and what you have overcome."
So it is true. People can change. It does not matter what mistake you make or how many you have made. We can change and we can learn and grow from them. Sometimes our recipes don't always come out right, but sometimes they do. As educators or parents, we worry too much about the direction of our youth. Heck, I am more worried about the direction of our adults.