"THE SMILE IS THE BEGINNING OF LOVE"

“Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.”

-Mother Theresa

 Today I would like to write about a certain little girl who has touched my heart this past month. Five weeks ago I, along with my sister and mom started volunteering weekly at a local babies home. On our second day there we were sitting in the “babies class” playing with the young children when they brought in a little girl. She sat by herself making no noise but tears rolling down her malnourished cheeks. My mom held her close but soon the tears were dried up and she was forgotten in the corner because the other crying children required our attention.  The next time I was there I picked up this little girl and she immediately laid her tiny head on my chest and stayed that way for the next hour until lunch time. She wouldn’t look me in the eye and all she wanted was to be held close.

Fast forward two weeks…you will catch her beautiful eyes looking up at you when your not looking at her and the second you look in her eyes she looks away. You can tell she is recovering from trauma and looks in constant pain. I cannot imagine the type of situation she was in before she was brought to the safety and comfort of the babies home. I started to look for her every day we were there and would hold her until my arms ached, her head resting on my chest her sad face slowly starting to soften. Her malnourished cheeks starting to plump out like a healthy child.

Then I found out that she has a number of diseases and illnesses causing her to be in constant pain and it broke my heart. I spent one afternoon sitting outside with her, her face showing signs of great pain. I was scared not knowing what to do and a prayer was in my heart that her health would soon return to her.

Last week as I sat in the babies classroom I watched as a little boy crawled over to her and they started playing together…slowly a smile stretched across her mouth and her beautiful face lit up for the first time since arriving at the babies home! Today as I played with her she laughed, clapped her hands, attempted to crawl around the room, started speaking sounds, hugged me and even gave me a high five ALL with a smile on her face! It was a miracle! Watching her grow from a traumatized, aching, crying, sad little girl to the bubbly cutie she is now has brought me so much joy and I know that God sends guardian angels to watch over all of his precious children there.

It breaks my heart to think of the situation a mother would have to be in to abandon her child. One little baby is the result of a fourteen-year-old girl being raped by her biological father…looking into this little babies sad face you can see that all they want is love. I am so grateful to be able to witness miracles happening every day in the lives of these sweet children. I could continue writing about each one of the children all day and never get tired. They are all so precious and I am so grateful and honored to be able to bring a little love into these children’s lives even if just for a moment. Their bright smiles and laughter make all the poopy diapers, throw up and exhaustion worth it!

“Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”

-Mother Theresa