Happy Endings

I can't stand it when all the movies, all the books, always have a happy ending. Life doesn't work that way. I know I know, it might sound cynical, but let's face it, in real life, those prince charmings don't really exist, people aren't waiting to sweep you off you feet, or save you from terrible or unfortunate circumstances, and in the end, chances are, you won't end up a princess or living in your fairytale castle. But maybe, just maybe, the world isn't such an awful place, and sometimes, happy endings do exist.

Today at lunch, GLA got two more kids. Yay right? Not so fast. Behind the new children was a family giving them to us. A family who made the decision to give up their children for a better life. The family brought a boy, 4, and a girl 2, to us this afternoon. The social worker worked with the family, the staff counted the boys teeth, unsure of how old he was, and gave the family a meal. The little girl had orange hair from malnutrition and screamed and cried when she was not around her birth family. The boy was a little more adventurous, and walked in the house on his own to explore. I sat quietly at the computer in the next room, imaging the emotions that they must be feeling, wondering how far they had walked, or what prompted them to make the decision. It was heartbreaking. I know this kind of thing happened at GLA all the time, but it bothered me all day, I wanted to know more. I was still pretty bummed coming back downstairs for dinner. Only, this time, in the room where the family was giving their children to us just hours earlier was a new family, an adoptive family, holding their new child. They were so happy in a room that just held so much sadness. Just a year earlier that same little happy girl in their lap might have been in the same position as the little girl at lunch, and soon, the little girl and boy at lunch will have the same experience as the little girl at dinner, the happiness of a forever family.

I overhear stories at dinner .... that little girl once weighed 3 pounds... her mother was 12... that little boy was left in the trees outside; Stories that just pull at your heart. Those same babies whispered about around the table, I have spent time with, flipped through their family photo album, and seen them smile..and that sadness is replaced with hope and happiness. Maybe no matter how bad things get, or how hard life is, that everything happens for a reason. I learn something new in Haiti everyday, and today I learned that here, at GLA, happy endings do exist.