This past week, I had the blessing of being in charge of the Internada Menor, which is the house for teenage girls. Jenny, the missionary who usually cares for them needed to go to Quito for several days…so Grace and I offered to care for the girls. Let me tell you, it was quite the shock to suddenly find myself the ‘mama’ of 13 adolescent girls, and to be honest, I didn’t even know all of their names! As a further complication, school just got out for ‘summer vacation’ and every day someone’s mom or uncle was arranging to fetch them…so over the course of 5 days, we went from 13 girls to just 4.
Algunos de Mis Chicas, Mis Hijas (Some of My Girls, My Daughters!) :)
L-R, Josselin, Alexandra, Alejandra, Nayeli
As I’ve written before, through these experiences, I’ve come to catch a glimpse of the beauty and sacrifice that lies hidden within the vocation of motherhood. Your life is no longer your own, from daylight’s first moments when you must first rouse yourself, turn on the lights and gently bid them good morning…until you’ve planted a goodnight kiss upon each dark head of curls. Yes, we spent practically every waking moment with the girls, and I stayed the night in their house to make sure that all was well. And I think that’s what meant the most to them…that we consistently remained at their sides, whether it was watching a movie, taking them to the beach or eating a meal. I got the impression that when Jenny is gone on a trip, they’re more accustomed to being locked up and left alone to do their own thing. So to have someone just sit and be with them…that appeared as a novel concept.
Sadly, it is not a novel concept of love, but rather one that has nearly been lost in this modern-day world: the concept of presence, of ‘being’ at the side of another person. Rather, we think upon what we must be ‘doing’ to show someone that we love them...we think of how we can win a heart with exterior novelties and activities. Yet, in looking at the deepest desires of the human heart, we long for communion with another…we long to be known, treasured and protected. Our deepest fear is not that we will be bored…but that we will be alone, that we will be abandoned. In the hearts of these teenage girls, these fears are all too familiar. Their longing for acceptance and fear of not finding it is worn on their sleeves, within hesitant eyes and behind a wary smile. Yet perhaps, in the time period of only a few days, these teenage girls received a message of profound truth: that if it is possible for someone to love them enough to stay by their sides through the most mundane moments of daily life... maybe, just maybe…they are not so unlovable as they had imagined.
There is one memory in particular that remains vividly in my heart…I had walked into the television room and the girls were watching a movie, while working around a large sack of beans that all needed to be taken out of their pods. Without even thinking about it, I sat down on the bed and reached for a handful of beans. Immediately, I felt their eyes upon me, and then saw them exchange unbelieving glances with each other. It was then that I realized how unfathomable it was for them to see an adult, someone who was ‘in charge’ of them, sitting alongside them, voluntarily choosing to do chores.
Upon further reflection, I realized that this simple act, done without even thinking, is what John Paul II referred to often as ‘solidarity’…to unite oneself to those who you are serving, by taking their yoke upon your shoulders…by living life with them, not just watching from the sidelines. Yet, the concept of solidarity is not reserved for missionaries in foreign countries, it is for all of us…with our families, at our workplaces, schools, etc. Solidarity is to put compassion into action…and it is when we can learn to live in solidarity with one another as human beings that we will have a greater awareness of the significance of life…because we not only recognize Christ in our neighbor, but we embrace Him.
May you each seek to live the spirit of solidarity with those whom you encounter each day…that you would revolutionize the ordinary moments into extraordinary ones through Christ’s transforming love. Until next time…
1 comment:
what a beautiful story. I can picture their faces and exactly what happened :) Keep the stories coming Jo! I miss you! I'm praying for you!!!
-Eliz
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