Spring Break
Malawi orphan seeking longer life in Chicago
Cathleen Falsani/Religion News Service
Issue date: 6/7/09 Section: Divine Intervention
Vasco knows this. And he is grateful. He's not afraid of what lies ahead in the coming weeks: tests and needles, surgery and a hospital stay in a country where he doesn't speak the language. He's a terribly bright, sentient child, and he is brave.
And he is loved. By us. By Mac. By friends and family and strangers he has never met and never will. He knows this, too.
Every moment we've spent with Vasco in our home so far has been pure joy. Everything is new to him. Everything is exciting.
The smallest things seem to bring him epic pleasure. Among a small collection of toy cars and stuffed animals, the item he has become most attached to is a plastic red-white-and-blue pen with the words "Yes we can" on one side and "Obama" on the other. When you press the top of the pen, an audio recording of President Obama's election-night victory speech plays impressively loud for such a small speaker.
Vasco carries it in the pocket of his too-big jeans and presses the button repeatedly. We know he doesn't understand what Obama is saying and simply enjoys a talking toy.
I didn't cry when Vasco arrived at O'Hare. And I didn't cry after I tucked him into bed the first night, or when he took my hand crossing the street.
But as Vasco erupted into joyous giggles as the train passed our gridlocked car for the umpteenth time, I heard Obama say, "While we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can." And the tears came.
Cathleen Falsani is the author of "Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace" and the upcoming "The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers."
And he is loved. By us. By Mac. By friends and family and strangers he has never met and never will. He knows this, too.
Every moment we've spent with Vasco in our home so far has been pure joy. Everything is new to him. Everything is exciting.
The smallest things seem to bring him epic pleasure. Among a small collection of toy cars and stuffed animals, the item he has become most attached to is a plastic red-white-and-blue pen with the words "Yes we can" on one side and "Obama" on the other. When you press the top of the pen, an audio recording of President Obama's election-night victory speech plays impressively loud for such a small speaker.
Vasco carries it in the pocket of his too-big jeans and presses the button repeatedly. We know he doesn't understand what Obama is saying and simply enjoys a talking toy.
I didn't cry when Vasco arrived at O'Hare. And I didn't cry after I tucked him into bed the first night, or when he took my hand crossing the street.
But as Vasco erupted into joyous giggles as the train passed our gridlocked car for the umpteenth time, I heard Obama say, "While we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can." And the tears came.
Cathleen Falsani is the author of "Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace" and the upcoming "The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers."
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