Hello There Mr. Bug

Last night I was reading before bed, fully equipped with my handy-dandy headlamp, and I heard a really funny sound...there was a chirp. Then a swoosh. All followed by a loud buzz. What in the world?!?! I did a quick scan of the ceiling with my lamp: nothing. Searched the walls...where was this sound coming from? And then...I looked down on my pillow, and you guessed it! There it was! This long, stick-like brown bug staring me straight in the eye! Umm...sorry Mr. Bug, this bed’s not big enough for the both of us! So with a quick flick, I brushed him off my bed. EWWW!!! And then...I couldn’t sleep! Thoughts of bugs crawling onto my head and into my ears wouldn’t leave my mind...

The reason I couldn't fall asleep the other night




In other news: because the children who live here at Botshabelo have been so extremely traumatized, and a lot of them are still living in trauma every day, it has been said that once they are ready to talk about their experiences, they will seek you out. I’m so grateful and fortunate to say that this happened to me over the past few days. On Saturday I noticed that one of the more outgoing and friendly 10-year old girls was crying, so I approached her and asked if she wanted to talk. Although she nodded quietly, I was unfortunately being bombarded by babies and was not able to give her my undivided attention and asked if we could meet later on in the day to talk. When I found her later she said she was fine and ran off to play with her friends.

...Man!!! I really thought I blew it and missed such an important opportunity to talk with this girl! However, a few days later, she marched right up to me, motioned for me to bend down, and whispered in my ear: “I know why I was crying.” Needless to say, I jumped on this chance to meet with her and we made our way to my house. After some coloring and art time, she opened up to share some of her family history and the abuse she herself endured as well as witnessed happening to her siblings. In a moment like that, I found myself asking why must a 10-year-old have to worry about the safety of her younger brother, who is still living at home with their abusive father; why must a 10-year-old suffer with flashbacks of violence and fear...but then, thoughts about resiliency and hope crossed my mind: she survived. She has created beautiful and loving relationships here at Botshabelo. She continues on despite her past and though sacred and worried at times, remains hopeful.

And then we visualized eating ice cream on a hot summer's day...

Smile.