wendy went home

When I arrived at the Hogar today, I found out that Wendy went home. Yesterday was her last day and she is now back at home with her family. When I found out, I was pretty bummed. Almost every day, she gave me such a hard time while I was trying to get the younger ones ready for school. And almost every day, she begged and begged to use my camera and cell phone. But we had a lot of fun poking each at each other. I will definitely miss her but I am happy that she is with her family. I do not know the circumstances that resulted with her being at the Hogar...and I do not know how much time she spent at the Hogar. But I know that she was always trying to take my cell phone so she could call her mom...and the saddest days for her were the days when her mom was supposed to call or visit and, for whatever reason, did not. So I am happy that she gets to spend every day with her mom...the person she was always thinking of and trying to get a hold of. I think Maruja could tell I was bummed because she happily reminded me that I would still see Wendy at school. She attends the same school as the fabulous five that I walk to school every day...so (sigh), there will still be wendy in my life.

The girls are a riot. I have been having the most joyful time with them...especially with Diana Liset and Melinda when we are walking to and from school. A couple of days ago, we were on our way home and Melinda started in with "yo mama" stuff to Diana Liset. I watched as things progessed into a "Well, your momma walks like this" contest. It had been a while since I had laughed so hard...as I watched Melinda (who is five) dish out some pretty gnarly and sketchy walks. But Diana Liset was ready to dish them right back. This continued on for a while before they finally asked me how my momma walks. I told them she walks just like me...and then proceeded to bust out a magnificent gangsta strut. They were awestruck and could not believe that my mom would walk like that...I waited a while before telling them I was only joking. As we got closer to the Hogar, we looked to see how big the moon was that night. Some of the other girls caught up with us. I cannot remember who, but someone asked how big heaven was. More questions came up and soon they were arguing about whether or not God eats. When I asked them if they thought God likes to play sports, the energy grew even more. Pretty soon, everyone was jumping around explaining how much God likes to play volleyball and soccer. I am so grateful for the huge smiles these girls put on my face. I am always blown away by the beautiful spirits I encounter every day here...and how much pure joy they add to my life.

I just thought of another story about Monica and her stuffed yellow dog that she named "Señorita Tasi," but I am running a little late to my spanish session with Vaneza...so I will have to save that one for another time! Wishing you the most joyful of days and lots of love!

(The picture was taken of Wendy while she was performing for the 35th anniversary of the Hogar)