"She Blossomed Before My Eyes..."

Hello! My name is Meredith and this summer I had the privilege of working with the toddlers and preschool-aged children at New Day Foster Home. I had the special joy of working one on one each day with Brooke, a precious little girl who absolutely stole my heart.

Now, it wasn't exactly love at first sight for Brooke and I, though I desperately wanted it to be! You see... Brooke isn't a HUGE fan of most people other than her beloved nannies (especially when these people are strange, foreign white ones like me!) When I was first told that I would begin one on one sessions with her every morning, I was ecstatic! However, my immediate plans to win over her little heart did not go as quickly as I had planned.

With time, slowly but surely, we learned to trust each other, and eventually she became my little friend. With Brooke, I learned the blessing of patience and how very, very sweet it can be when patience is rewarded with her affection in return. Brooke taught me the importance of steadfast love, even when it is seemingly unwanted. Most of all, Brooke showed me the complete and utter joy in learning to experience the world in a brand new way.

Over the course of the summer, I saw Brooke blossom before my very own eyes. She is so smart, and she soaked up every little thing that she was shown or taught, no matter what that was.  I love watching her learn to stack blocks and to use markers and crayons to fill pages with color. I laughed to hear her repeat the silly animal sounds that I would make in hopes of sneaking a smile from her lips. I smiled to see her attitude toward our "class" time change from complete disinterest, to putting up with it, and finally, to hearing her ASK to go to class with vivid excitement. My heart leapt the first time she lifted up her arms willingly to me so that I could hold her close.

This summer, I saw her change and grow into a beautiful and energetic "almost-2-year-old". I watched as she learned to experience the world around her in a fuller and more exponential way, changing from the baby girl who was content to sit in her stroller with her nanny and watch the other children play, to the giggling toddler who splashed through the puddles and played with the rock piles outside with her little friends on the daily walk.

Brooke's transformation is evident and so very beautiful, and I am so very thankful that I had a chance to be a part of her life and to have experienced the incredible things that she has taught me.

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This post was written by Meredith, one of our Summer 2011 interns.