The Kiss of an Orphan
What a beautiful, fierce kiss my cheek received! It was a kiss that said, “I don’t want you to leave. Please don’t forget me.” The six-year-old girl waved with all her might as our van pulled out of the orphanage. I didn’t want to say goodbye.
During our last afternoon in Honduras, we visited five orphanages. There wasn’t much time to spend at each one, but the children welcomed us and opened up to us within minutes.
I could tell they longed for attention. I didn’t even have to seek them out. At one particular orphanage, as soon as I stepped inside the gates, little Maria in a ruffled purple blouse grabbed my hand. We were instant friends.
Three others quickly joined us. I had four little girls pulling me throughout the orphanage – one on each pinky and thumb. They gave me the grand tour of each room and introduced me to their friends. That orphanage was all they had, and they wanted to share it with me.
Out of all the children I met this week, I think those little girls cared the least that we couldn’t say much to each other. Laughter is the same in English and Spanish, and that was all we needed to understand.
I pushed the girls on the swings. We played their version of ring-around-the-rosy. They showed off their monkey tricks in the tree. They pointed out the pictures on the walls and introduced me to the older orphan girls who served the food. We practiced our skipping and showed each other dance moves. They posed for pictures and climbed on my back. And then it was time to go.
Even though the orphans don’t have a family, financially most of them are better off than the poor children in Cane. They receive clothes and don’t worry about food. But how they long for attention! How easy it is to be welcomed into their hearts! How earnestly they asked me to come back!