Our “little one”, Keiden, turned 6 weeks old today… We can hardly remember life before him... and can barely imagine life without him... We love him so much...and are so grateful to God... who gave him to us...
Keiden dressed in his Sunday best for church this morning... at one point in the service I turned my head and saw a pediatrician... it crossed my mind that I should ask him about a little rash Keiden has on his face... when all of a sudden I had a very vivid flashback...
I was holding a baby... the same size as Keiden... only this baby was 5 months old instead of 6 weeks.. What I remember was his hands although it was probably spread all over his body... They were covered with a horrible skin problem... Thick, scaly... very ugly... The little guy was lethargic... didn’t move around, kick or coo...
He was living on the streets with his mom... She was “worried” about her son... although this problem definitely hadn’t sprung up overnight... I called up this same pediatrician - who offered to see the baby for no charge...
After the doctor gave the baby a thorough examination, he asked the mom to step outside the office for just a minute... I remember his diagnosis very clearly...
The problem wasn’t the skin problem... the baby was literally dying for love... The doctor said he could prescribe medicines and creams... but if the baby didn’t receive love and care, he was going to die... He was basically “shutting down” for lack of love...
The mom insisted on returning to the streets with her baby... Begging with her baby, asking for money for milk and diapers, was an easy way to make money for her never ending supply of glue... With her nose stuck into a cut off plastic bottle of numbing fumes... her eyes would glaze over and her baby forgotten once again, laying listlessly on piece of cardboard beside her...
Ten years ago social services wasn’t as interested nor prepared to intervene in situtations like this...
Just a few days later I bought a small white coffin... The little one had died. He died... dying to be loved...
Then I came back to the present... people welcoming each other... singing... happy and warm... (its cold outside... we’re in our winter)... There we were with our little one... SO LOVED... not just by us... but by so many “uncles” and “aunts” and “grandmas”...
...but how many people... young and old... are dying to be loved? ...numbing their pain with drugs, alcohol or sex... but never satisfied... Then there are those who aren’t quite as obvious as an addict... their cry for love might be more carefully camouflaged.... but their pain, their need is no less...
Many of the street kids and girls that come to El Jordán hoped and prayed that I’d never get married... because they were sure that I’d forget about them... I told them that God had given me so much love... definitely enough to go around...
Now here we are... overflowing with love for our little one... and yet I know that God has given so much more love in my heart to share with others who need a loving touch... and to be directed to the source of love... God...
Please pray for the many who need to be loved... that God would continue providing for El Jordán so that we can reach out to all those who come... and for me personally, as I adjust to being “mom” (for the first month I kept telling Keiden, “Auntie loves you!” before I remembered that I was the MOM!)... and figure out ways to continue sharing my life... heart... and love with so many others...
Have a wonderful day... and thanks to everyone who sent their happy wishes for Keiden’s arrival...
Lots of love,
Corina... for Marco and Keiden