A new beginning

Remember way back when, when I wrote about the new kids arrival here at NPH? Well, as heartbreaking as it was to watch those children stand in front of the family here at NPH and declare their “new-ness” to the crowd, it is a billion times more heartbreaking to see it up close.

There are so many nights here when I forget the predicament I’m in… the fact that there are so many children here for me to love…but oftentimes they’re here because they lack that love from somewhere else. This week we’ve gotten so many new girls I don’t even know what to do with them. The dynamic of the section has changed drastically as I watch a lot of my shy little girls become helpful young ladies as they try to make the transition as easy as possible for our newest additions who include: Lupe, an “old” new pequeña who has returned to NPH after being gone for about a year, Francisca, a partially deaf and almost completely mute little girl who (luckily) the girls are warming up to nicely, Ida, an EXTREMELY shy one, and Linda.

Linda

Last Wednesday was Linda’s first real night in the section…her first night in her new and permanent, large, dormitory style room with her 19 new roommates. In the beginning, she seemed outgoing, playful, and charming – just one of the girls. It wasn’t until almost bedtime when I noticed her sudden differences. I wandered over to find her curled up on her bare bed, hugging her knees. I sat next to her and put my hand on her head, moving her hair away from her forehead the way my mom had always done when I was little…and that’s when her tears started. She didn’t want anything else but for me to just sit there, stroking her hair, and watching the tears roll down her cheeks. After a few minutes I convinced her to let me cover her with her blankets and to give her a proper tuck in, after which she proceeded to give me a big hug and a kiss on my cheek.

Every night when I leave the section I give each of my girls a big kiss on the forehead. In the beginning, it was something they ran away from – QUE ASCO (how gross), they would say. But now none of them joke. They all come find me to get their kisses, or wait patiently in their beds for me to come around to each of them to give them a little piece of the love they deserve. And let me tell you, these girls, and all the kids at NPH, deserve all the love in the world.