wednesday's whimsy : yuleidy

H A P P Y WEDNESDAY!

so it was just about a YEAR ago that i announced that i am bringing back my wednesday's whimsy...
& then i M A J O R L Y dropped the ball. with all that 2012 brought, i had HIGH expectations & of course, piled my plate a little too full.


well,,, this time it's FOR REAL folks!
wednesday whimsy's are BACK!!! & in full effect. starting today. every Wednesday.

to start it off right, i am super excited to share my journal entry from something that is SO near & dear to my heart. something special that Mark & i got to experience on our honeymoon as husband & wife! without further ado,,,

my journal entry from September 18, 2012 :

one of the first things Mark & i decided to do as an engaged couple was sponsor two children through Compassion - Yuleidy, from the Dominican Republic & Akhil, from India. for the cost of basically one less dinner outing a month, $38, your sponsorship provides a W O R L D of difference to a child in need... & let's not even touch on the immense amount of gratitude you feel knowing you are helping.

one of the major bonuses in picking Punta Cana as a honeymoon destination was that we would have the possibility to meet our nine year old sponsor child, Yuleidy ( pronounced Ju-lady)...

& today, September 18, 2012, with the BIGGEST smile in my heart, i can say it OFFICIALLY HAPPENED!

a few things i will never forget:

-the way she hugged me, eyes closed & wouldn't let go... right when we first met.
-the GORGEOUS scrapbook she created for Mark & i to share more about herself & family.
-how she went from being a tad shy to an acrobatic swimmer in the pool.
-her determination.
-that S M I L E ... which never left her face until the moment that the translator told her they had to head back home.
-when she sang her two favorite songs for us... one being about how she will always hold her hands up high, even on the darkest of days
-the way she nibbled at her food, but licked her ice cream bowl dry.
-her endless, perfectly curled, lashes
-how she played with my hair in the water
-teaching her to dive & swim "like a mermaid"
-watching her & Mark play "catch me if you can"
-that her favorite subject is math
-how she could have swam in the pool allllll day regardless of being up at 4:00am (in order to travel to visit with us by 10am)
-that she has two dogs... both of which have no names
-her laughter... it will FOREVER ring in my heart
-how she inspired me to paint her a picture,,, not just take her picture
-seeing her hold Mark's hand
-holding her hand
-feeling her hug so tight & kiss me when we had to say good-bye


the list, as I am sure you know, goes on & on. in the middle of a Punta Cana 'paradise', Yuleidy's visit has been the highlight BY FAR. there are no words. we have already decided to plan a visit to her home (hopefully next year!) & the need to plan a visit to India to also meet our other sponsor child, Akhil.

Lorena, the wonderful translator, kept saying how Yuleidy visiting with us was
'such a blessing'
& how 'she will NEVER forget this day'...
neither will we.


Yuleidy, big smile & round beautiful curious eyes, has blessed our hearts more than she will ever know.