I am tutoring three children every morning. I probably said this already but I am basically just winging it. I feel horrible when we are reading a book about a picnic and hot dogs and juice and watermelon on the beach and a swim in the ocean and I start to think that these kids might not experience these joys. Then again, maybe they will. I just can't know.
But the reality is that these children come from families and homes that I still have a tough time imagining. I noticed today that one of the boys' fingers was broken at the top knuckle. I asked what happened. He doesn't talk so much and I didn't really get an answer. Maybe I don't want to know.
Two days ago we had a visitor, a brother of one of our boarders. He is emotionally disabled and lives very far away. We think it probably took him a couple of hours to get here on his own. He stayed for dinner and then we needed to send him back. He had someone come to walk home with him.
This morning the school children were singing a song about being orphans and who would take care of them. They talked about abortion, being abandoned and dying of deadly diseases. Again, it was heart wrenching.
I can sit with these kids and make paper airplanes or greeting cards or play crazy 8s or any other ordinary type thing and forget that some of them could have been left on the side of the road.
I met yesterday with the director of an HIV/AIDS awareness organization. I am going to try and help finish doing some research and writing a grant that would continue education practices that have been started in the area.
There is so much that is beyond my comfort zone. And I guess that's ok. It certainly gives perspective to things.
Tomorrow's a different day.
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