"She's Just Sick."

I like to share stories and little moments from my time in Bolivia on here.
The kids of Ninos con Valor have brought so much happiness and joy to my life. But, many of their stories are full of heart break and sadness.

One of our youngest girls in Corazon del Pastor has had a rough life. She's 5, and although she was young when she lived with her parents, she has been greatly affected by the maltreatment that surrounded her for the first part of her life. It all started when she was a baby. Her mother has a history of mental issues. And, this little girl and her siblings have suffered mental, emotional, and physical abuse at the hands of their mother. The young girl still has physical scars that serve as reminders of her traumatizing past. However, despite the violence and trauma that have plagued her life, she is full of smiles and laughs, happiness and kindness, love and affection.

One day, we were sharing scars and the stories behind them. She rolls up her pant leg, and shows the fairly large scar on the inside of her ankle. She comes close, and says, "Tia, my mom did this," still pointing to the scar, the reminder. She comes even closer, and says, "But, she's not bad. She's just sick." This caught me off guard, and tears began to form in my eyes. A 5 year old stated something so profound, so beautiful. Something many of us in our 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s could never say, or understand.
I pulled her close, and whispered, "You are right. She's not bad." As she sat down in my lap, she said so softly, barely audible, "Ya, Tia, she just needs help. She's not bad."

This happened last week, and has stayed with me, hanging close to my heart since. This moment spent with this very wise, very loving 5-year-old, brought to mind words I have posted on here before: "A scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived," wrote Chris Cleave in his book Little Bee.

I thank her for this moment of pure, untainted love and forgiveness. As I struggle to let go of bitterness and anger, she has learned to forgive her mother, who hurt her more than anyone, even leaving scars.