A Reflection for National Mentoring Month

Every January, while the world is busy making resolutions it may or may not keep, something quieter and more durable unfolds in the background: National Mentoring Month. It’s a month dedicated not to reinvention, but to relationship — to the slow, steady work of showing up for another human being.

Mentoring rarely looks glamorous. It’s not a movie montage of breakthroughs and tidy life lessons. More often, it’s a series of small, ordinary choices: listening when you’re tired, asking one more question, offering a story from your own life that you hope lands gently. It’s the kind of work that doesn’t trend, but it transforms.

What I love about National Mentoring Month is that it doesn’t pretend mentoring is effortless. Instead, it honors the people who keep doing it anyway — the teachers, coaches, neighbors, aunties, uncles, faith leaders, coworkers, and community elders who invest in someone else’s becoming. It also reminds us that mentoring isn’t a one-directional act of charity. It’s reciprocal. It’s relational. It’s a shared practice of dignity.

And in a world that often feels loud, hurried, and transactional, mentoring is one of the few places where slowness is a strength. You can’t rush trust. You can’t shortcut wisdom. You can’t microwave belonging. Mentoring asks us to be patient with another person’s unfolding — and with our own.

January’s observance also includes a few touchstones worth noticing:

• I Am a Mentor Day, a moment to name the role you already play in someone’s life
• MLK Day of Service, a reminder that justice is built through community, not isolation
• Thank Your Mentor Day, an invitation to acknowledge the people who shaped you

None of these require a grand gesture. A text, a note, a conversation over coffee — these are the small rituals that keep the mentoring ecosystem alive.

If you’re already mentoring someone, this month is a chance to pause and recognize the quiet courage it takes to keep showing up. If you’ve been shaped by a mentor, it’s a chance to say thank you. And if you’ve been wondering whether you have anything to offer, consider this your nudge: you do. Someone in your orbit needs exactly the kind of wisdom you carry.

January will come and go, as months do. But the work of mentoring — the work of choosing connection over convenience — is evergreen. It’s one of the few resolutions worth keeping all year long.

For more posts on mentoring, click HERE.

Image and some content generated by AI.

a post inspired by Heart-to-Heart Resuscitation (V. Montgomery III).

Book Description

I have your six... The window of opportunity to make a difference for someone considering suicide can be a matter of seconds. The real-life stories in this book illustrate this tension dramatically. H2H Resuscitation-the book and the therapeutic model-provides encouragement and hope to overcome combat veterans' immediate life-threatening depression and suicidal thoughts, the priority being to get veterans to safety. "Oh, yes," they hear on the other end of the phone line, "You do have a reason to live, and I will tell you why!"

Through subsequent mentoring and group therapy, these rescued veterans are mentored to develop the strength, determination, and support to get out of danger and pull their lives together.

The H2H Resuscitation model, designed by Vic Montgomery,

- explores the psychological wounds of war, specifically post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury;

- outlines warning signs of a veteran in distress;

- examines the distinct issues facing women in the military;

- provides an in-depth guide to veteran-related networks, organizations, and programs; and

- offers uplifting, inspirational stories of rescue and redemption.

Keywords:

veterans; PTSD; suicide prevention; psychological counseling; veteran suicide prevention; PTSD recovery; combat veteran memoir; veteran mental health; trauma healing; post-traumatic stress disorder; military suicide awareness; suicide intervention; veteran support; healing after war

Book Review by Literary Titan...5 Stars

In Heart to Heart Resuscitation, Vic Montgomery III emerges as a compassionate figure dedicated to the noble cause of healing and supporting those who have endured the unthinkable. His work serves as a reminder of the ongoing support needed by veterans as they navigate the challenging path back to civilian life. The book is well-crafted, offering insights into the struggles and triumphs of those who have served, making it a recommended read for a broad audience.

Literary Titan Gold Award

Read more posts about Victor and his books HERE.
Watch the book trailer HERE.
View author's website HERE.

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