Monday, February 16, 2015

Captivated by Chris

A guest post by Anna, a current volunteer from the UK.

As I walked through the doors to the foster home, the very first thing I saw was a pair of eyes. Little smiling eyes, belonging to a little smiling boy, grinning at me like we'd known each other our whole lives. I knew we'd be friends right away.


Like all volunteers who have the privilege of experiencing the wonderful chaos of the toddler room, I quickly fell in love with each of the sweet children I got to spend time with. But there was something about Chris' gentle spirit that particularly captivated me.


I keep trying to put my finger on what exactly it is about this little soul that I find so intriguing. My jet lag is forgotten with his cuddles, and when I twirl him round his giggles are so infectious that I often find myself laughing along with him. Today, as he clung to my fingers and took wobbly steps to the kitchen for snack time, I realized what it is.
Chris loves without condition.


His little heart has not learnt to guard itself, rather to innocently and utterly pour itself out to others. I had barely stepped into the entrance of the foster home before he had decided to entrust me with his affection. I hadn't said anything, or done anything, I had simply shown up. And yet there he was with his little smiling eyes.


Truthfully, this little two year old loves like we all should love. The way that his nannies and past volunteers and staff at New Day have loved Chris is now reflected in the way he loves others. The phrase "Love Grows Here" could not more perfectly describe the atmosphere of New Day, and it has been an honor to experience even a little bit of it.


Next time I'm struggling to see reason to love someone, I'll remember Chris' little smiling eyes, and love them anyway.

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This post was written by Anna.

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