This morning I spoke at the fourth annual Abbey Youth Festival outside of New Orleans. A few years ago I was invited to speak at the first youth festival when there were only 1400 people. So it was cool to take the stage this morning and see close to 4000 people in the crowd.

Four years ago we were filming the Real World here in New Orleans. Being on the show was months of parties, prayer, and adventure. I’ve never had to look so painfully at who I am, and who I am not. The whole experience blew my mind.

I was at a night club when a drunk girl came up to me and asked me to come by her hospital to spend time with kids suffering from cancer. She scribbled a phone number on a napkin and stumbled away. The next week I met her at the hospital. She introduced me to the kids who were fighting cancer. I went week after week.

Each time I visited, I made an effort to visit a middle school boy. Others came and went, but he was always there. (You don’t ask why someone is gone…you just pray they went home with there families.) His parents were always there loving him…they were so tender and dedicated. I sat by his bed and tried to make things better in whatever way I could. That was four years ago.

This morning that little boy came back stage to say hi. I hardly recognized him…he’s a teenager now. He did go home to his family. I gave him a hug.