Thanksgiving Day

I have been blessed and raised by parents who have unconditionally loved and nurtured my every step,  every triumph and every fall. In ups and in downs, I lean on them for strength and courage. I live, love and stand tall because of them.

Mom and Dad circa-70s

Yet, not all are born with luck on their shoulder. 

On this day, I was scheduled to deliver new bead stocks to Sonya's Garden.  Little did I know that a slight slow down along the major road of Tagaytay would lead me to a blue 2-story home that serves as temporary shelter for 32 abandoned children, with age range of 1 month old-13 years old and 1/4 of which are children with special needs.  After a brief introduction and a little get-to-know-you with the head guardian, Sister Carina gladly accommodated my spur-of-the-moment request to hold a simple Thanksgiving activity with the children on the 23rd of October.

There are so much to thank for, a realization that came along after having gone through  a major detour on health a few months ago.  I am  better now, with lesser visits to my doctor, and absolutely feeling blessed for having survived.  That day I first stepped foot at Little Angels Home I knew I was meant to return for 3 reasons ... to meet the Little Angels ... to celebrate the birthdays of 3 special people from the Pharmacy  ... and  to give thanks for a second chance in Life.

On October 23, we arrived well-prepared. Somehow thinking that there won't be much difference from the usual school activities we do.  We thought wrong.

The Little Angels looked happy.  They seemed normal.  But when the games started, we did not finish. 

Everyone craved for the grand prize even by those who did not join the game.  No one accepted defeat and faced their downfall with whining and loud outbursts.  When lootbags were equally distributed, everyone wanted to get the other's lootbag and asked for more.

The story-telling activity did not happen. It was with extreme difficulty to tell a 5-minute story amidst children who were only interested to get hold and claim  the puppets as their own. 

The younger ones opted to play solo. Sharing was absolutely close to impossible (unless they hear a stern reminder from Sister Carina). Then it hit me.  Life for these angels is not about being selfish or winning the grand prize. They are too young to understand.  But rather, it is all about surviving and living life alone.

In a nutshell, Sister Carina shares that these children have been abandoned by parents who can no longer provide.  Once abandoned, they are up for adoption. 

I ended this day with a heavy heart.  I needed more time to get to know each one. The toys, spaghetti, hotdogs, marshmallows, cupcakes, games, balloons, bubbles were not enough.  There was more that they longed for.

 They longed for attention.

They asked for an arm around their shoulder.

The toddlers stretched out their arms up high to be carried, cuddled and swung around.

They sought for affection and warm kisses.

They are not meant to be sold for Php4,000.  Just like the baby in my arms.  All they want is to be loved.

a 13-second video on the Little Angels Thank You performance

I will return for a 4th reason.