There's always a different feeling when I wake up on the last day of a visit to our girls. I have an urgency to soak up every moment with them and a lingering sadness at the impending goodbye that is inching closer later that day. We started off the day with some tasty oatmeal and fresh pineapple and then were on our way to go pick up the girls from the orphanage.
Some clips from some of our playtime...
...and they really like stacking and building things.
The twins also love singing "A little girl went walking" over and over. I love it too...
My hair is often something of interest too...
And we made cards for papa by tracing their hands, coloring and putting stickers on the paper...
I don't remember why Abigaïlle was looking in El's mouth...
We had a little time to hang out with Mama Tita (Rosita) before food was brought up to their room. I'm so grateful for these ladies that love our girls so well (and our girls sure love them too)...
She stood there with her hand on her hip until I took her picture...
Just hanging out on the porch with my girls.
Bubbles with grandma!
Snuggles with my El.
You would think I would be able to prepare my heart for these goodbyes after having done it so many times, but it just seems to get more and more difficult. Each night that I dropped the girls off at the crèche I told them in Kreyòl that I would be back tomorrow. This night, just after I told the girls that tomorrow I wouldn't be coming back tomorrow (and my heart was breaking into a million pieces), my mom snapped this picture. The girls just looked confused, a little wounded and then gave my long hugs (atypical for this time of day). It physically hurts my heart to look at this picture.
Dinner was quiet and sad that night.
The next morning (September 26th) we left at 5:30 in the morning thinking we'd have an excess of time at the airport. The lines were so long and things were so crazy at the airport that we didn't even sit down once and just made it on the flight not long before takeoff. The airport still had a bad burned smell from the fire two days earlier and there was a tension from people in the airport that I hadn't seen and felt before. People were quarreling and sometimes yelling at each other, trying to cut in lines and just generally tense. Little did I know that things were about to peak in chaos there in Haiti and if we hadn't left when we did we would've been caught in the lockdown and still be stuck there. There is so much that needs to change in this country that we love...
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ReplyDeleteSuch a hard goodbye. My heart ached saying goodbye, and ached again for MY girl saying goodbye to her girls. Prayers for Haiti, you and Mark, and two little sweethearts. Hopefully you “will be right back” very soon, To bring them home. I love you
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