84 years

One delightful matriarch.
4 children. 
Special needs.
5 grandchildren.
Little money. Little support. Little food.
Optimism. Smiles. Hope for brighter days.
A well-worn Bible.
The vast majority of 84 years spent here. 
Raising a family.
Loving a family.
Accepting what is.
Smiling. Always a beautiful smile.

invisible

As I turn down yet another road that I've never traveled along before, on this tiny & incredibly wealthy island where I grew up, I am shocked by the neighbourhood that stands before me. Never mind that I'm shocked at what I see. I'm shocked and horrified that all this stands in plain sight, yet so well hidden. Just off the main road. Just behind a new apartment development. Just behind a business. Just behind a wall. Just behind some greenery. Just somewhere over there, hidden well enough to go largely unnoticed. Invisible.

life & joy

These beautiful kids are so full of life and joy and hope. 
They have never failed to greet me with anything other than a huge smile spread across their little faces. 
They are curious and interested. 
They ask all sorts of questions. 
They are a delight to chat with. 
Their home life isn't easy. Food is in short supply. 
But the smiles are always there.
And they never fail to add an extra dose of sunshine to my day.

the grandfather

I didn't have a grandfather living anywhere near me growing up, so my warm & fuzzy childhood memories of the grandfather are few. But the images that I do conjure up of grandfatherly love involve a chair that is warm and cozy, maybe near a window with a lovely view, or near a fireplace for those in colder climates. The images that I conjure up do not involve a chair placed under a crudely constructed shack, surrounded by piles of empty booze containers.

But that is exactly the grandfather that 4 beautiful and lively young children come home to. They seem too young to understand. Instead, they accept him and love him just as he is.

home

Home.
1 young single-mother.
3 very young children.
4 walls and a roof and not an awful lot more.
There are few options.
But there is caring. And kindness. And love.
And perhaps most importantly, there is hope.

a view

A spot in the shade. 

An optimistic attempt at an escape from the often oppressive heat. 

A view that isn't what most conjure up when they hear 'just another day in paradise'.

lonely

I spotted this at the end of an incredibly uplifting visit with a beautiful family.
The matriarch of this family has spent her entire lifetime struggling to keep a very simple roof over their heads. Struggling to be sure that there was food on the table. 
As the children grew, her struggle became their struggle. And may well become the struggle of her grandchildren.
They are a family with very little. 
But they are happy. And they are grateful.
And unlike this abandoned stuffed bunny, they are not lonely.
For they have hope, they have love, and most importantly, they have each other.