Jomy

I just got back from taking a girl, Jomy, out to some hot chocolate. A friend of mine let me borrow her car and I drove into Chester to meet her at the sister's house. Walking in I was greeting by one of the sister's beaming faces as she told me about the bishop's visit to their home and what a holy man he is. I leaned closer to her so as to absorb the joy she radiated, almost thrust upon you. I wish I could have been there I said, truly wishing I had if this is the effect he had in her. A couple of the other sisters came out to greet me and say Merry Christmas, and soon Jomy came through the front doors accompanied by two of the other sisters. She glanced around, met my eye and burst into a smile. There she is! I am so excited!
We drove off heading to Da Vincis. To my surprise (or not really this store is never consistent) it was closed. Well, I said lets go in anyway. So I unlocked the door and made us both a cup of hot chocolate with a mountain of whipped cream, put on some tunes, and sat on the couch to chat. She pulled out her journal filled with songs she has written that I had asked her to bring. We began to look over each one. Some of them were silly, others were absolutely heartbreaking. One went like this:

I miss you

I miss you in my life,
Please dont live (leave) my life
You are the only thing
in my life, come to me in
my life, I miss you in my life
please come with me in my life
Please be with me for ever
I miss you in my life
I love you in my life.
by: Jomeishka

Written about her dad, or her mom she says she is not sure. She rarely sees her dad as he is working at odd hours of the day, and her mom is living still in Puerto Rico. She began to tell me a whole slew of stories about her family and things she has seen in Puerto Rico. Describing shooting she witnessed, with details that only a child would recount, grabbing her sponge bob blanket and screaming.
Wow. Is all I could say or think. What a world this little girl has already experienced that many will never see. How alone she feels everyday, not ever talking to her mom and hardly seeing her dad. But there is something so unique and special about Jomy. She has a twinkle in her eye, an innocence that is hard to come by in 12 year old girls living in Chester. I am hoping and praying that whatever it is she possesses is not lost in the upcoming teenage years that are bound to be a struggle. She was such a gift of joy for me today. I feel like God has placed us both in each other's lives for a reason, and I hope to continue and cultivate this relationship in the coming years.