Such was the case with Spencer, a student I had in the very first 4/5 class as a 5th grader. He was one of those bright and promising students, and one who had my complete trust. Spencer always did excellent work and in addition to being gifted, he was a strong leader, kind and loving to everyone.
I last saw Spencer at his high school graduation party and he was excited about heading off to college and beginning the next phase of his life. He has stayed in touch since, but I noticed that he was posting less and less frequently on social media and that something seemed off.
I heard some passing talk that he'd gotten into drugs, and then his mother posted on Facebook two years ago that Spencer had been missing for two weeks, asking if anyone had heard from him. She ended up flying out to California and found him, and subsequently wrote that they were spending quality time together. At the time I thought that that was odd and figured something deeper was going on. (He had bounced around several colleges, too.)
Sunday morning, Spencer posted this picture on Instagram.
I sent Spencer a message of encouragement, wondering if he would respond, but he did, thanking me for my concern and asking how I was. We have entered into a bit of a correspondence and I am hoping to hear that he is working to get back on his feet and get back on track. No doubt he has a very difficult road ahead.
Like I said, life happens to us all, and I am so sad to hear about Spencer's incarceration. But I will pray for him that he will move forward and leave the drugs behind. He has so much potential - I hope he puts those leadership skills and academic talent to good use.
