Yesterday, I spent a wonderful afternoon with Amy, my friend and mentee. With a common goal in mind (to work on our “Eye on Melrose” photography project), we met after school to brainstorm and strategize. Armed with a snack from Dunkin Donuts, and our disposable camera, we began our trek around the city.

Spending time with Amy always puts me in a better frame of mind – I really look forward to our time together. Yesterday, with her encouragement, we drove around Melrose with the top to my convertible down (not something I probably would have done on my own, in late October). The “Jonas Brothers” blasted from my radio; six months ago, I wouldn’t have even recognized a song by the Jonas brothers, and today I can’t stop humming “Love Bug” to myself. With Amy and our camera as an excuse, I took the time to visit areas of Melrose that I have always taken for granted: the Lynn Fells, the World War II monument, Mount Hood and Ell Pond. Each of us learned something from the other – Amy told me that the World War II monument makes her proud of Melrose, yet I had never really taken the time to look at it closely; Amy had never been to Mt. Hood, which is one of my favorite spots.

I had become involved with the mentoring program because I had thought it would provide me the opportunity to “give back” to the community that has so enriched the lives of my family and me. Yet, on afternoons like yesterday, I almost feel guilty about that attitude – the time I give to this program is far from being any type of sacrifice. That time spent with Amy was a perfect way to kick off an autumn weekend!

The mentor and author of this article chose to remain anonymous. “The Mentor Moment” is a periodic forum for sharing mentoring experiences with the community. The editorials are written by mentors from the Melrose C.A.R.E.S. Community Mentoring Program, which links middle school students with adult volunteers from the community.