I see it´s
been a month since I last wrote. And the truth is I have been avoiding it
intentionally. I remember before leaving
for this trip I thought about what purpose my blog would serve and I wanted it
to be a way for me to show all of you where your support (emotional and
financial) was being put to work. What fruits were being labored with my work
and your love. And of course to share
the wacky moments that fall into the category of “only in Ecuador”. What I didn’t want was to taint the image I
was painting for you with rants or venting sessions about the hard stuff. Obviously it exists, but it’s not what people
want to read about. I am sure you get where I am going with this- it’s been a
hard couple months at work. There have
been a lot of changes and not very good ones, in my opinion. I have been
struggling to keep my focus on why I am here, who I am here for, and what it is
I want to accomplish while here. Easier
said than done some days… BUT this afternoon I was blatantly and refreshingly reminded
of all those things, so my inspiration to write to you all came flooding back
in. And as I sit here typing in the main
plaza, there is a rainbow forming above me (which probably means I’ll get rain
dumped on me shortly- but for now it’s perfect).
So on to
the good stuff. Due to a variety of circumstances, I saw two kids today who I
haven’t been able to see in a while. First one is Oscar. He is an 8 year old boy who has been coming
to PediHabilidad since he was very little.
He is a shy guy and takes a little while to warm up to new people, but
once he does, he is a sweetheart full of creativity and such adorable love for
his little sister who never leaves his side during therapy. Today was an average therapy day for us,
nothing too profound, other than teaching him and his sister how to play
tic-tac-toe. But for me, my heart was fulfilled to be working with him
again. When the three of them came into
the clinic and we all met eyes, I think everyone’s faces lit up equally. I was
certainly glad to see them, and I think the feeling was mutual. That feels good!
And the
second one- Remember Marlon? The super tear-jerker entry about the kiddo and
the wheel chair we delivered to him that brought on a smile I will never forget?
Well, I saw him today too! And what a
joy he was! He was a little shy for the first 2 minutes, and then it was
game-on! Once his mom put him on the mat and I asked him what he wanted to play
with, that Kodak smile immediately came across his face and he said “blocks! I
want to build a house!” We spent the
next hour laughing, playing, smiling, and working, of course. But he would not
stop giggling and chatting away. A year
ago he was cute, smiley, but quiet. Not anymore! This kid wants to move,
explore, throw, climb, laugh, topple over things, and live! It breaks my heart
to think of the low he experienced a few months back, but I can’t help but
think I did, in fact, partake in
something that had a profound impact on this kid’s life. And his mom said he’s going to school, which
is major success around here. Lots of these kiddos aren’t going for a variety
of reasons (accessibility, misconceptions regarding their cognitive abilities,
resources in schools, to name a few), so to know that the wheelchair that we
provided this little guy allows him to participate and play with his friends
(which he told me he has a lot of!) makes all the work drama seem so trivial.
Thank you Marlon, for being a light in my life!
It's faint, but the rainbow is there.
ps. that's the entrance to our one cocktail bar, with the black sign... looks inviting doesn't it!?
