Have You Said YOU MATTER To Your Joe?

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Just in case no one has told you lately, or never told you at all.

You Matter!

Recently, I experienced a situation that reminded me how we can go through life feeling unworthy of achieving anything.

Sometimes I substitute teach at a school filled with students who got into legal trouble.

One day, I arrived and saw a new kid—let’s call him Joe.

He was short, light-skinned, and had so much anger on his face that he looked like a walking mugshot.

I asked the staff about the kid’s background.

And they disclosed some horrible things.

I walked over to Joe and introduced myself.

“I’m Mr. Mosley.”

“I’m Joe.”

“Nice to meet you, Joe. You Matter.”

I turned around and walked away as he looked at me, confused.

A week later, I was back at that school.

I saw Joe, and as he walked by, I said, “You Matter.”

He didn’t say a word but had a smirk on his face.

Several weeks later.

I was subbing at that school again.

It was lunchtime.

Students packed the cafeteria, and Joe sat alone, reading a book.

He looked up at me and asked, “How are you, Mr. Mosley?”

“I’m good, and what book are you reading?”

“I’m not sure; I just grabbed a random book.”

“Do you like it?”

“No!”

“I know of a book you might like.”

“What book?”

“It’s one of my books.”

“Wait! You wrote a book!”

“Yes, I’ve written several, and two of them are here.”

“Can you get one for me?”

“Yes.”

When lunch was over, I got a copy of my book from a teacher’s class and gave it to Joe.

It just so happened that I was aiding the teacher’s class; he was in, so I got to watch him read through the pages of my book.

The class ended, and he took the book with him to his next class.

An hour later, I was walking down the hall when a teacher approached me.

“Mr. Mosley, Joe has asked me to ask you if it was oak if he comes to speak to you.”

“Yes, that is fine.”

Joe comes out into the hall with a paper folder in his hand.

“I just finished a chapter in your book and I can totally relate to how you felt about your daddy.”

“How so?”

“Before my daddy left, he used to abuse me and my mama. I hate him for the way he treated us. Now that I’m bigger, I wish I could beat him up. Because of him. I never really had a childhood. I’ve spent most of my life being around older men doing drugs and going to jail.”

“That’s tough to hear.”

“So I want you to know that when you said, ‘You matter’ to me. I felt that because I never felt I did. You are the first adult to say that to me. I really appreciate that.”

“I say this because it’s true. I know how hard it is to feel worthy after a tough childhood.”

“You’re right! Also, I want to read the answers I wrote to the questions at the end of the chapter.”

Joe read his answers to the questions, and the self-reflection he showed was impressive.

He then said. “One day, I’ll tell kids they matter, just like you did with me. You’ve had a positive impact on me. I know that one day, my story will have an impact as well.”

“Joe, I want you to remind yourself daily that you matter. Especially when you have those moments you feel you don’t.”

“I will.”

We ended our conversation.

Joe ended up going back to his home campus that day.

Before he left, he did a survey.

In it, he said this. “Mr. Mosley was a great male figure I can look up to when I get out of here. I’m going to buy his books and read them more and more. Taking in as much advice as possible because he’s a mentor, and I want to be like him someday.”

Like Joe.

If you are struggling with feeling worthless.

If you feel like because of your:

Past.

Circumstances.

Mistakes.

That you’re not enough.

I want to say to you.

You Matter.

The pain you are struggling with today will give you the compassion to impact someone else’s life tomorrow.

There is a Joe waiting for you. So keep believing that you matter because You Are WORTHY TO BE GREAT!

P.S. I’m deeply grateful to everyone who sponsored copies of my books for teens in the DAEP.

These teens face behavioral challenges and work to improve so they can return to their home campuses. Joe’s story shows how your kindness is making a real difference in their lives.