I blogged in the Philippines about visiting Virlanie, the orphanage to which my friends Bru and Aina decided to donate all of their wedding money. It was an entirely selfless act, only amplified by them bringing lunch and toys to the kids when they presented them the check. I tagged along.
Virlanie takes in kids that have been physically and sexually abused and/or abandoned, and does its best to provide them with some sort of normalcy. The boys and girls were so sweet, each greeting us by taking the backs of our hands and holding them to their foreheads – a Filipino show of respect to elders called “mano.” And they wanted to be picked up and they wanted to know our names and all I could think was that these kids weren’t all that far removed from their abuse. And I just wanted them to know that not all grownups are monsters.
That day has resonated with me more than any part of the trip, and last week, Aina’s mother passed along the above photo of me with a little girl that I think really captured how I felt.
I find myself now looking at my niece and nephew differently. They’re so damn spoiled. I know it’s not their doing, but it sure would be nice for them to see the bullet they dodged some time.
