Maria

One of my favorite parts about working here at Treasures of Africa Children’s Home is that I have been here from the very beginning. I love it that when we first took the children in I was here to meet them. Most of them have been with us for three years and to say that I have seen many changes take place in their lives would be putting it mildly. These changes come in more ways than in their physical bodies getting bigger, but to talk about all their changes would require more than one blog entry.

This past Saturday we celebrated Maria’s third birthday. She was one day old when we took her in. She was our first infant. I remember how tiny she was. Everyone fell in love with her at first sight. I was living at the orphanage during that time and I remember sneaking her into my bedroom and laying her down on my bed with me.
Soon after Maria other babies came to us, but I will always remember the joy of welcoming Maria to our home. She holds a special place in my heart.

Maria is now three years old. She has her own personality. When she was a year old everyone called her the “Serious” girl. She smiled but not as often as the other babies. Now at three years old Maria still has some of that “Serious” girl in her but smiling is something we see her doing all the time too. In fact when we are outside sitting on the porch in the afternoons she will sit on my lap so I can tickle her and then she will laugh and laugh and laugh.

Each of the children hold a special place in my heart and I have special “first” memories of all of them, but Maria…my sweet little Maria…she was only one day old, and now look at her. She is so sweet and adorable. I held her when she was one day old. I held her on Saturday on her birthday and told her that I loved her…you know what she did? She laughed!!!