weredesh

Yesterday I found myself welled up with emotion after meeting a foster baby at my school - only 11 months old. There's a woman at my school whom I work fairly closely with who takes in foster children (many being from our very school). Well, yesterday she got a call at 3 in the morning to take in a baby whose mother had been separated from the child because of neglect and overuse of alcohol by the mother. The baby smelled horrible, was dressed in way-too-small clothing, and the mother had previously had 4 other children removed from her because of her drinking. Apparently, she drank the entire time she was pregnant with this beautiful little girl. At 11 months the child cannot sit up on her own and is teeny tiny. However, she likes to play peekaboo and is responsive.

It broke my heart to meet this little one. I couldn't get out of my head the thoughts of this child's life for the past 11 months. Was she left to cry in her crib constantly? Was she fed often? When was the last time she was bathed? Held? What had she already seen in her short little life? These thoughts weighed heavily on my heart and last night I cried for this little girl. How would I answer those questions regarding Weredesh's first year of life?

I felt angry, sad, and frustrated that someone in this country, where resources are plentiful, could be so selfish as to choose alcohol over the life of a child. To force a child into a toxic environment where she doesn't have any say and doesn't know any different. I think about the thousands (probably millions) of mothers in Ethiopia that would give ANYTHING to be able to provide their children with just basic necessities such as food and water. But instead, they have to abandon their children with the hope that their children fall into the right hands and find a better future.

Then I think about the foster mother and what an amazing woman she is to take these children into her home and provide them with temporary needs. And the thought of her possibly having to give them back to unloving homes is heart wrenching. Thankfully, there are people in this world that have the courage and loving hearts for fostering.

These kinds of stories have really struck a nerve lately - I think more so because of all of the media attention on the earthquake victims in Haiti. And of course, being the mother of an orphan. I have a really hard time seeing all of the images of suffering. Also, images of busloads of children being brought over to the U.S. for adoption. I tried watching the telethon the other night and could only watch a few minutes, because I just sat there bawling. Maybe it was the frame of mind I was in at the time, because I was able to watch the whole thing last night (we recorded it for later). The outpouring of love, support, and money from this country has been amazing.

Anyways, not sure where I'm going with this, but felt the need to get it off my chest...