The hardest thing to do

The hardest thing to do is leave a post for a new one. Whether old or new, a post is an assignment, a divine deployment through which one completes a task. Posts are usually temporal and by the time they’ve run their course, you’re usually not ready to leave. You’ve just grown accustomed to the job at hand and while not necessarily old hat, it is routine enough for you to enjoy (most of the time).

The hardest thing to do is to complete a season in your life abruptly and at the expense of others. It’s not that you intend to hurt people when you leave said post but invariably you do because collateral damage is par for the tumult of transition. It takes bravery to let go and fortitude to maintain perspective when change disrupts comfortability.

The hardest thing I’ve had to do on several occasions is leave one group of students to go serve another. I had to do that again today. I had to tell my students and my girls basketball team at Ramona High School in Riverside, CA that I was moving on to devote more time and energy to this blog’s namesake. Free association yields words like: “Betrayal,” “Abandonment,” “Greener Grass,” etc. That’s how I felt today talking to players who were counting on me and students who see me as a mentor.

The hardest thing to do is to leave if you really care about the people where you serve. You wouldn’t think so either. It would certainly seem reasonable to think that any coward can shun duty and consequently skip out on those who need him most. But it is leaving that challenges, exposes, risks and yet trusts. The sense of comfort on all sides is challenged when a person leaves a post. Fears are exposed. Risks are taken. But trust is the virtue which is proven or found lacking in the instance of departure. Leadership is a privilege in more ways than can be stated. To those of you teaching and coaching young people, instruct them on how to leave and be left with grace and purpose. It’s the hardest and arguably most rewarding thing to do.

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Posted: November 4, 2009November 7, 2009 by Norman Anthony

Category: Uncategorized

Yeah it is one of the hardest things to do but I realized that you have taught me the main things to get over obstacles and impact other peoples lives just like you have with many of us. I see it as you leaving your mark like a graffiti artist leaving his. The truth is people dont always write because they love to destroy and make the streets look ugly they do it to express the anger and hate that is being produced in them. Other do it to share the beauty of the world and to show whats out there. To show that something so bad can be something so beautiful that people have to free their mind to see the beauty in them. Every one has that beauty that with the write guide you can make it come out. That mural you are building is growing and getting bigger and now you have people helping you out to finish it and your mission is to get the biggest group you can to spread the beauty out and show every one that they have that talent that they need to work hard for their goal that just because people tell them every day that they are going to fail dose not mean you cant prove them wrong and your letting us finish this mural here because you have taught us what is needed to get it done you have left the blue prints. Now your off to start another one with more people and not just guide one crew at a time but your guiding the main ones the ones we call the GOD crews the ones that every one respects and sees as the people that will never go down. Your painting your murals and leaving your mark and they wont be destroyed by the city because its only uniting every one. Your not leaving us unprepared we have the paint we have the brushes. I have the blue print and so do many others. You left us here to guide them and tested us to make sure we can handle it. Now your off to unite the world not just one city at a time but the whole country. That is the way i can explain what you are doing. I know If i was in your shoes i would do the same because i know that your dream has always been to impact people and make them see the good in them self that if they struggle and get over their obstacles they can reach their goals. that even that little boy that grew up in the ghetto like we both did can get out and succeed that the boy that would be scared at night because helicopter where circling his house dose not have to lay there waiting and praying that a bullet will hit him. That the bad things you see happen in life are the things we all need to learn from and get away. That we all need to wake up and always say that today is going to be a beautiful day because you never know if there will be a tomorrow.

6 Comments on “The hardest thing to do”

Oscar Robles
November 5, 2009, 1:51 am

Yeah it is one of the hardest things to do but I realized that you have taught me the main things to get over obstacles and impact other peoples lives just like you have with many of us. I see it as you leaving your mark like a graffiti artist leaving his. The truth is people dont always write because they love to destroy and make the streets look ugly they do it to express the anger and hate that is being produced in them. Other do it to share the beauty of the world and to show whats out there. To show that something so bad can be something so beautiful that people have to free their mind to see the beauty in them. Every one has that beauty that with the write guide you can make it come out. That mural you are building is growing and getting bigger and now you have people helping you out to finish it and your mission is to get the biggest group you can to spread the beauty out and show every one that they have that talent that they need to work hard for their goal that just because people tell them every day that they are going to fail dose not mean you cant prove them wrong and your letting us finish this mural here because you have taught us what is needed to get it done you have left the blue prints. Now your off to start another one with more people and not just guide one crew at a time but your guiding the main ones the ones we call the GOD crews the ones that every one respects and sees as the people that will never go down. Your painting your murals and leaving your mark and they wont be destroyed by the city because its only uniting every one. Your not leaving us unprepared we have the paint we have the brushes. I have the blue print and so do many others. You left us here to guide them and tested us to make sure we can handle it. Now your off to unite the world not just one city at a time but the whole country. That is the way i can explain what you are doing. I know If i was in your shoes i would do the same because i know that your dream has always been to impact people and make them see the good in them self that if they struggle and get over their obstacles they can reach their goals. that even that little boy that grew up in the ghetto like we both did can get out and succeed that the boy that would be scared at night because helicopter where circling his house dose not have to lay there waiting and praying that a bullet will hit him. That the bad things you see happen in life are the things we all need to learn from and get away. That we all need to wake up and always say that today is going to be a beautiful day because you never know if there will be a tomorrow.
Brian
November 5, 2009, 12:55 pm

Oscar beautiful words!!!! I don’t want to speak for the man, but as a good friend of Normans, I know you just blessed his socks off. My prayer for you and the rest of the class he’s saying good bye to is that you guys would take all that he has imparted in you and RUN WITH IT!!! Not just to make him proud, but to make yourselves proud. To be able to look back years down the road and share your testimony to young people about how you changed your life and the people that you encountered on the way. GOD BLESS
Zeara
November 5, 2009, 3:38 pm

Wow! Tears..Thanks for sharing Oscar! I am so happy you were able to receive what you did from your experiences. Life lessons that are priceless. I am at a loss for words. Great job Norm! I know it’s all for His glory, but that’s where my heart is also (with the youth) and I appreciate what you are doing!
Oscar
November 6, 2009, 12:30 am

Thanks I am happy that i had the pleasure to meet a good role model like him he is the first male that I have actually seen in life keep it real. Don’t trip Mr. Coulter me and your other students are here to keep what you have started going and i will try the best to teach them what u have to=aught me.
mari
November 6, 2009, 9:10 am

that is the hardest things to do especially if you grown to like the people you work with or who are by youre side. mr. coulter when you told us ur leaving i was in shock slash sad. not angry i really dont understand why people would be angry. but i was shock how early you have to leave and we have a big date in like 11 days. but were going to do an awsome job because we know how to communicate with each other. we were taught by the best we were pushed by the best we were advised by the best we were told by you. mr coulter i thank you for all the things you’ve taught us and told us and how honest (really honest)and close we all got to each other. we are the reniassance family.i personally am very proud of you because youve reached youre dream and youre showing me and my fellow classmates that you cn do it you can make someone of youre self. im just sad that i met you this year and we all got close and now i lose you. trust the class isnt going to be the same with out you being there. but FOR A FACT WE ARE GOING TO KEEP YOU IN MIND godd luck and i wish you the best!!!
Taelyr
November 15, 2009, 10:21 pm

Mr. Coulter I am going to miss you so much! This blog entry made me cry! I wish you luck, and I know you are going to change more lives. (:
Love, Taelyr