FINALLY, my cold is over and I'm back with the kids. Yesterday I started out slowly, or planned to, but the kids had other ideas. It brought me to tears how excited they were I was back, and we spent quite a bit of time just visiting. I got to hold Leonel for the first time since he and I had both been sick, and it was sweet. After a while, though, the other kids got bored and I put him back in his wheelchair but sat him at the table working with the kids. He loved watching, and I finally thought, what the heck. He usually doesn't use his hands very deliberately, but thought we'd try.
Once again, I was amazed by one of the kids. He "came alive" with work to do. His hands are pretty weak, but he had great fun pulling clothespins off a container and putting them inside. I was dumbstruck by the control he had over his hand. I guess he hasn't done much with his hands before because there wasn't much to do with them. I don't know who was more proud, Leonel, me, or the rest of the kids who were applauding for him.
I'd planned on spending time with Carlos this morning, but he was in therapy when I arrived, and Leonel just about jumped out of his chair when I walked by. We found a quiet corner by ourselves, and he worked and worked and worked. I'd brought small plastic animals with me, and he LOVED them. He would reach out in different directions to grasp them. You can see how hard he has to concentrated to get his hands to open and close at will, but he manages. He also managed to grasp, rotate and stack small cups today. Now do I sound like a proud mama, or what? Seriously, I am realizing just how much I've underestimated not only his desire to do meaningful work, but his ability, too. I need to remind myself what someone wrote to me a while back--that ALL of the kids are more than tears and smiles.
A friend from the city was coming for the weekend, and I was going to meet her in Central Park. After putting Leonel through his paces this morning, I figured we both needed a treat, so I signed him out and took him walking with me. Since it was about lunch time, I wanted to get him something to eat, but he doesn´t do too well eating chicken from Camperos. So we went to a "real" restaurant, and I ordered the fruit plate to share with him, and he had a vanilla shake. Man, did that kid love smashed fruit! Especially papaya (sorry, Dick, but it's true). We had a great time just visiting. Though he doesn't speak in words, Leonel's eyes, face and smile communicate volumes. This was one of the most fun lunches I've had here in Guatemala. And for dessert, we had the best flan I've ever eaten.
Our timing was perfect, as we finished lunch just as Elizabeth's shuttle arrived from the city. The poor girl had waited over an hour for the shuttle to be full enough to leave Guate City, but appeared no worse for wear.
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| Elmer showing off on his horse |
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| Henry doing his "wild man" impersonation |
We went straight to Hermano Pedro, and she went straight to work with the kids, though she had never met them before, and hadn't had any lunch yet. They fell in love with her as soon as they saw her sweet spirit and her genuine interest in them. It was really cute the way Elmer and Henry wanted to "show off" for her, refusing to sit in their wheelchairs, and wanting to sit independently on the stairs while they worked with her. They had a great time doing puzzles with her, and even let Ervin join in a little.
By about three o'clock I figured I'd starved the poor girl enough, and we reluctantly packed up and headed out to get her something to eat. As much as I love working directly with the kids, I think I enjoy it just as much when I see someone like Elizabeth open her heart to them so easily. I think I'm sometimes so much the "teacher" that it's good for them to have someone just come and play! Thanks, Elizabeth, for jumping right in and not holding back your love from the kids one bit! What a great afternoon!
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