“Everybody’s got a story that could break your heart.”

The Amanda Marshall song released in 2001 has since fizzled on radio waves, but its message remains relevant.

We’ve all heard the expression “don’t judge a book by its cover” and yet we continue to make assumptions and fulfill stereotypes as we watch one another walk down the street, shop in the store, or stand at the bus stop.

Rarely do we take time to learn a person’s story, to hear about the adversities they have faced, the achievements they have made, and the barriers they have broken. We simply glance in their direction and decide for ourselves that they are one way or another, that they are worthy or unworthy.

Since working at the Ranch I’ve heard stereotypes, presumptions, and generalizations about the people we support. The people affiliated with the Ranch are not “bad kids”, “bad parents”, or “bad people”. They are children, youth, and adults who are working at becoming the best being that they can become; they are writing a new chapter in the stories of their lives.

We each have a story with a past, a present, and a future. Take the time to hear someone’s story before passing judgment on the character or the plot.

There are twists and turns in every story, but it all comes together in the end.