Hi--it's a warm feeling to know that you guys are out there and we are connected!! We love hearing from you too. I need to let you know that often the keyboards we use stick a lot and I don't have a dictionary or spell check so please forgive my errors!!! As a teacher, that hurts to say.
Birthday Party-
Yesterday as I entered the young children's orphanage, I had to pass by several TV cameras. The children were all in the entry way and their faces were covered with frosting. Someone handed me a bag of balloons and said, "Blow." The faster I blew, the more children surrounded me covering me with frosting also. Turns out they were having a birthday party--probably happens once a month and who knows why cameras were there. In a little while, the children were ushered (not easily) back to their room where they immediately pulled down their pants and sat on the potty bench-a long bench with 25 holes. As a teacher, I always had a gathering spot--guess this was theirs!! After we washed all faces & hands, we put on shoes and took them to the playground. As I sat on the long swing that holds about 8 kids, Mahdamyati (SP???) jumped on my lap and took both my arms and wrapped them around her. When I tried to put one arm around another, she grabbed it back. She had a special dress on so I asked if it was her birthday celebration and found out it was so I sang Happy Birthday to her. That opened a flood gate as she insisted I sing it to her maybe 30 times during the next couple hours--which I was delighted to do. Soon it was time to go in and eat. As I fed one child who just grinned at me--and never noticed that the child next to him was picking out her carrots and putting them in his dish. Then back on that potty. I love counting, saying ABC's, singing itsy bitsy spider, Mary Had a Little Lamb, You are My Sunshine and other songs as they sit there smiling at me!!