A Tender Mercy

There once was a young woman who went to Ecuador and took care of orphaned babies. She loved them like they were her own. Coming home was devastation at its worst. She let her thoughts be consumed by their faces, and silently prayed for them always. Her normal life at home just wasn't enough.

She had learned just how precious children are. They are perfectly loyal and in every way pure. Their love is unconditional.

One night, she was working a seemingly never-ending shift of 13 hours. It felt as though her frequent nightmares of waitressing had come to life, as everything was going wrong. And she was so exhausted. If she could just hug one of her babies for a quick moment, she would feel the confidence that she could make it.

So, when she saw the little girl at the salad festival happily loading up her plate with dozens of cheese bread balls, she couldn't help but tell her that she loved her dress. She honestly did. She wore a black velvet top with a big bow in the front, a layered skirt with lots of sparkly ruffles, and her hair was on top of her head in a very princess-like creation. Her name was Lola, and she was beautiful.

They became friends instantly. One friend turned into two when Lola's miniature clone casually strolled over to her big sister, because she also wanted to meet the young woman. Her name was Gala, and she was beautiful, too.

They talked for a while, and eventually the young woman needed to get back to work. But the girls had one more question.

Was she a Mom?
No, but why would they ask?
She looked like a Mom.
What did they mean?
Well, they thought the young woman had pretty eyes.

I think they could see it in her eyes, but they had no other way of describing it. I wonder if they could see the infinite love she would always have for her children who were so many miles away from her. I hope it always shows in her eyes, because the world should know what those children mean to her. They are her strength, they are her courage, they are her confidence. Yes, they are all of these things and more. But to put it as simply as possible, they are hers, and she loves them.