"Maybe this will be different"

Remember Sesame Street? I loved it when I was little, and when I became a dad, I was excited to show this 'educational' TV show to my kids - for their benefit of course. A segment that continually appeared was, I think, called something like "one of there things is not like the other" = it showed 4 things and one didn't belong with the other three. The theme song was something like...
One of these things is not like the others
One of these things just doesn't belong
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song.

Somehow I keep getting invited to places where that song rings true.

A friend of mine invited me to a luncheon at a nice hotel in Downtown Portland. I wasn't too excited about going - knowing much of what this was probably about. But my friend asked and I said yes.
Finding a place to park, I headed to the Grand Ballroom - actually about 5 minutes early - where I was almost overwhelmed by the amount of blue suits and flashy ties. I felt somewhat under-dressed in my plaid shorts and black button up shirt, but at least I had worn socks with my Simples (great shoe company, check out their web site: www.simpleshoes.com).
True to the name, the ballroom was grand, the presentation striking and the light show effective. Even the chicken was tastily grilled.
I talked to some really cool people - cool for two reasons: 1) they are all about community development and transformation, and 2) they didn't let me stand alone counting the number of butter pad designs my table. Shortly after, my table started to fill up with people.
Great people who are authentic and leaders in more than their areas of influence.
In particular, at my table, sat Richard Twiss (www.wiconi.com). American Indian, husband, has 4 sons - all around awesome.
The tables were asked to talk about why we keep doing what we are doing and why we serve. I will never forget Richard Twiss' answer....
He talked about a town called Mission on his home reservation in South Dakota - a place all the religious organizations have set up shop. Each summer, with the influx of short term missionaries, the population grows from about 20,000 up to around 100,000 - and Richard said this has been going on for years. He then said, "Do you know what is different after the summer short-term teams have gone? Nothing."
The teams come in, do their thing and then go home. The result in Mission = teen suicide is highest in the nation. Abuse, alcoholism, drugs, neglect. Nothing changes.

Then he said, "Maybe this will be different. Because you live here, maybe this will be different."


So as a 'Season' (literally and figuratively) ends - even though I am not optimistic -
and we all continue to move through life right where we live, and work, and eat, and, well, you get the idea = Maybe this will be different.