A true leader of boys can appeal to their minds through their hearts. I knew that you cannot really drive a boy, that you need not buy a boy, but that you must win him if you are to do anything with him or for him. – Fr. Flanagan
One of my favorite Hollywood scenes is from the 1987 comedy Throw Momma from the Train. Larry, played by Billy Crystal is at his wits end with Owen, played by Danny DeVito when Owen asks Larry if he wants to see his coin collection. Owen precedes to pull out a box of coins from the floor boards and lays them out for Larry to see. Larry quickly realizes the collection is just ordinary coins with no value. Larry begins to chastise Owen yet again that the point of a coin collection is to have coins that are actually worth something. Owen goes on to explain that each quarter, nickel, and dime is tied to a memory he had of his of his father. This becomes a turning point in their relationship, as Larry begins to understand more about why Owen is the way he is.
The above quote by Fr. Flanagan is a reminder that the work we do here at Boys Town is not just a matter of trying to reshape the mind and change the way youth think, but it is also a matter of healing the heart that has been wounded. Fr. Flanagan knew that he could never work with the boys if it was just a matter of correcting behaviors, he had to love them, and they had to know that they were loved. Fr. Flanagan began and ended with the work of the heart, a lot of important work happened in between, but it was his love for God and for the youth that was to be both the beginning and the goal of Boys Town.
Sincerely,
Fr. Jeff
