In Brazil a lot of young people call me Tia, which means aunt. I have to admit I kind of like it. I think of the Hawaiian understanding of auntie, a wise, respected woman. And because it is a different word it feels different to me.
Today I visited a house/organization that works with kids who have HIV and have been abandoned. Some of the children have physical and mental disorders as well. We were told a few of them had been shaken or thrown across the room so now they were paralyzed or had brain injuries. Hearing this sent chills up my spin. I know this happens but it is one thing to know it and another to be standing next to the crib of a little one who has been hurt.
One little boy was about 2 and he was so excited to see us and he kept saying Tia, Tia, Tia, almost as if to say do you see me, do you see me? Another little girl was showing me a church brochure and she was showing me Mary and saying Mamae em ceu. Which means mother in the sky. But it was another little one who had the most impact on me. We walked in the tv room and there was about 6 kids under the age of 7. Mostly toddlers. It seemed to me they all had some sort of mental challenge. One little girl around 7 years old kept looking at me and then looking down. I went over and just bent down next to her and started talking softly. I did not want to touch her because I was not sure of her condition and did not want to scare or upset her. She came over to me and put my arm around her and pushed me to the floor so she could take a seat on my lap. Then she wrapped my arms around her. I figured out she was ok being touched. She settled back with her thumb in her mouth and continued watching cartoons. She never said a word, I still don't know if she could speak. But for a moment today I felt like Aunt Carolyn again. It was a precious moment and it made me miss my nieces and nephews.
I will never be Aunt Carolyn here in Brazil because my family is not here. But in the moments that I get to be Tia Carolina I touch a special part of my heart. I am discerning whether I will be able to go back and work with those children. It took me 1 1/2 hours from my house to get there this morning. So if I can find time in my schedule to travel 3 hours I will go back if only to sit on the floor and watch cartoons.
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| I love being Aunt Carolyn & Tia Carolina |
