While we were...

Today news circulated that another "healthy" little one in Ukraine passed away.  Such a sad thing to know that this sweet baby never knew a family's love.  I got an email (before this) from a friend requesting a copy of this poem as well.  I guess it's time to repost it.  Originally written in February 2009 when we learned of two girls' passing at an institution in Ukraine.  They had passed a YEAR previously but due to outdated information we didn't know.  Those two little ones died of the flu while I was in Ukraine with my own adoption.  In fact, they were not far from where I was, and I, too, had the flu while there.  The difference is that I had plenty of food, water, and even antiviral meds to get through it.

May God watch over all the little ones, now safe in His Embrace.
Anne Marie, November 2005-October 2010 (she was just 2 months older than Brianna...)


While we were...

While we were eating…
… they were hungry
While we were playing…
… they were restrained
While we were tucking our kids into bed…
… they were alone
While we turned up the heat…
… they laid in the icy cold
While we wrapped our children in blanket sleepers…
… they laid in their own excrement
While we sang songs and listened to music…
… they listened to the screams and cries of those around them
While we rocked our babies…
… they silently rocked themselves
While we hugged our kids…
… they scratched at their own faces and pulled their own hair for stimulation
While we cried over scraped knees…
… they moaned in their loneliness
While we brushed our daughters’ beautiful hair…
… they had their heads shaven to stave off the lice
While we fought off the flu with love and nourishment…
… they got the flu and went Home.
No longer suffering… but so many more still are.
In memory of those that have never felt the love of a family, but have passed away alone.

By: Meredith Cornish