Returning Home

We said goodbye to this beautiful girl this week.

It was one of the countless times here that so many varying emotions have overtaken my body.

I felt awe at the progress she's made over the past three months.

I rejoiced in her joy at returning home.

And my heart ached a little...a lot...because I won't be greeted by this sweet smile each morning.

...

My heart still stops when I look at the picture of her when she arrived.

When I see these pictures...when I see any child who comes to the safe-home looking like this...my mind swims with unanswered questions.

Certainly, I can rattle off all the reasons too many children in Lesotho reach this state.

But no level of intellectual understanding of these issues will ever stop the visceral reaction I feel when seeing a child suffering this way.

I will never get used to the feeling of a hard bony chest...

...arms and legs so thin it seems they might snap at any moment...

...skin drawn tight across cheekbones...

...not an ounce of baby fat to be found.

...

Although this profound state of malnutrition is a significant part of Mamello's story, it is a small part.

The larger story of her life is evident in her remarkable smile...

...it's clear in every goofy face...

...and it's obvious in her determination to stand on those little legs again.

Mamello has returned home to a household with five other children led by her young aunt.

She and her family have many struggles ahead...it is not easy to feed a large family in a country plagued by drought and food insecurity.

But I know that smile...that laugh...that beautiful spirit...back in the arms of her family...will bring endless strength and joy to everyone around her.