So, you think you've had a bad day, huh?
Everything seems like it's all crashing in on you, the kids are all having emotional meltdowns at the same time, the laundry's piling up cuz the washer broke, your boss yelled at you today...all you wanna do is crawl into bed and pretend like today never happened - hopefully it's all just a bad dream.
Before you break down, before you yell at your teenager, before you kick the washer, before you defend yourself, take a minute, take a breath, and think about Sebastian.
Sebastian - 3 1/2 years old, hardly smiles, barely talks, cute as a button
Every day, he wakes up in a dirty house on a few wide planks of wood mounted on cement blocks with blankets thrown over them to form a makeshift bed.
If his father is home, he knows it's best to take his younger brother, Tomas, outside to play because their dad needs his sleep before leaving in search of his next drink.
If he gets breakfast, his grandmother makes it for him. She loves her grandsons but is deaf, so she doesn't converse with them much.
His mother is busy taking care of their 1 month old youngest brother. She has some minor mental deficiencies and doesn't always remember to make sure her two oldest get bathed, dressed, or fed properly. She isn't quite sure how old her newborn is and hasn't named him yet. Last year, they lost another little baby and she's decided to follow the local custom in waiting until this baby is 40 day old before naming him - this way, she might not become quite as attached and it won't be so hard if she loses him.
Sebastian fully comprehends everything that's said to him and will respond with nodding, pointing, etc; but with a grandmother who can't hear, a mother who sometimes forgets he's there, and a father who is rarely home without being drunk, there's no one to teach him how to form the words that will allow him to express what's going on inside.
When Gloria and Henry first started visiting his family, he was scared of what these outsiders might do. Were they able to be trusted? He and Tomas would cry and hide. Soon, their gentleness won him over and he isn't as afraid of the camera anymore. He's also proud of being the big brother and showing Tomas that they don't have to cry.
These outsiders were friendly. They smiled a lot. His grandmother enjoyed talking with them; she talked more with them then with anybody else he knew. They were patient with her and didn't get upset when she couldn't hear what they were saying. They didn't yell loudly like his mother did in their attempt to communicate.
Come to think of it, they didn't yell at all. They would give him hugs when he let them. Sometimes, he wished he could talk to them. He wished he could tell them when he was afraid of his father.
Whenever they left, he quietly followed them to their car and sat under the tree in the yard to watch them drive away. It made him sad when they left. It made Tomas sad too. People always left. Whenever their dad was home, he would surely leave again soon.
But Gloria and Henry would come back. It always took a while but they always came back. They were always smiling and happy. What made them happy? One day, he would find out. One day, things would be better...
So, you think you've had a bad day, huh?
I don't want to minimalize your feelings or disqualify your emotions.
But.
Before you break down, before you yell at your teenager, before you kick the washer, before you defend yourself, take a minute, take a breath, and think about Sebastian.
Take a minute to count your blessings.
Take a time out for thankfulness.
Everything seems like it's all crashing in on you, the kids are all having emotional meltdowns at the same time, the laundry's piling up cuz the washer broke, your boss yelled at you today...all you wanna do is crawl into bed and pretend like today never happened - hopefully it's all just a bad dream.
Before you break down, before you yell at your teenager, before you kick the washer, before you defend yourself, take a minute, take a breath, and think about Sebastian.
 |
| Sebastian's brother, Tomas |
Sebastian - 3 1/2 years old, hardly smiles, barely talks, cute as a button
Every day, he wakes up in a dirty house on a few wide planks of wood mounted on cement blocks with blankets thrown over them to form a makeshift bed.
If his father is home, he knows it's best to take his younger brother, Tomas, outside to play because their dad needs his sleep before leaving in search of his next drink.
If he gets breakfast, his grandmother makes it for him. She loves her grandsons but is deaf, so she doesn't converse with them much.
His mother is busy taking care of their 1 month old youngest brother. She has some minor mental deficiencies and doesn't always remember to make sure her two oldest get bathed, dressed, or fed properly. She isn't quite sure how old her newborn is and hasn't named him yet. Last year, they lost another little baby and she's decided to follow the local custom in waiting until this baby is 40 day old before naming him - this way, she might not become quite as attached and it won't be so hard if she loses him.
Sebastian fully comprehends everything that's said to him and will respond with nodding, pointing, etc; but with a grandmother who can't hear, a mother who sometimes forgets he's there, and a father who is rarely home without being drunk, there's no one to teach him how to form the words that will allow him to express what's going on inside.
When Gloria and Henry first started visiting his family, he was scared of what these outsiders might do. Were they able to be trusted? He and Tomas would cry and hide. Soon, their gentleness won him over and he isn't as afraid of the camera anymore. He's also proud of being the big brother and showing Tomas that they don't have to cry.
These outsiders were friendly. They smiled a lot. His grandmother enjoyed talking with them; she talked more with them then with anybody else he knew. They were patient with her and didn't get upset when she couldn't hear what they were saying. They didn't yell loudly like his mother did in their attempt to communicate.
Come to think of it, they didn't yell at all. They would give him hugs when he let them. Sometimes, he wished he could talk to them. He wished he could tell them when he was afraid of his father.
Whenever they left, he quietly followed them to their car and sat under the tree in the yard to watch them drive away. It made him sad when they left. It made Tomas sad too. People always left. Whenever their dad was home, he would surely leave again soon.
But Gloria and Henry would come back. It always took a while but they always came back. They were always smiling and happy. What made them happy? One day, he would find out. One day, things would be better...
So, you think you've had a bad day, huh?
I don't want to minimalize your feelings or disqualify your emotions.
But.
Before you break down, before you yell at your teenager, before you kick the washer, before you defend yourself, take a minute, take a breath, and think about Sebastian.
Take a minute to count your blessings.
Take a time out for thankfulness.
Sounds like a rough situation, have seen many families like this, all you do is pray that God with help them
ReplyDeleteI have to remind myself that prayer and love are two of the greatest things we can give to anybody, regardless of the situation!
ReplyDelete