Joshua Gebeyehu has two friends from Ethiopia that live in town. They came from the same orphanage and one of them even arrived at the orphanage the very same day as he did! (And their momma is a very good friend of mine!) It is just such a cool connection.
Joshua talks about these boys all the time, but he has struggled when he is around them. The first time we went to see them, Joshua totally shut down. He was the most uncomfortable I have seen him since we visited Sele Enat while in Ethiopia. He needed to be held chest to chest and did not talk one bit. Seeing them brought back a lot of memories and some not so good feelings, I am afraid.
The next time we saw them he did better, but really stayed from these special friends and instead played with his siblings.
The third time we tried to play, he was so so excited! He talked about the playdate all morning. When we arrived at the park the boys came running up to him yelling, "Gebeyehu! Gebeyehu!" excitedly. My Joshua Gebeyehu crawled up my leg, onto my hip, tucked his thumb into his mouth, and hid his head under my chin. He stayed there quite a while and eventually played some.
Poor little guy! I can feel his frustration. He so wants to play with these boys! He talks about them all the time. But their voices and faces collide with so many memories of hurt, loss, loneliness, and insecurity. He just does not know how to put his life here in our family together with their life in their family and their shared past. It really is a lot for a 2-year-old to take in!
He and I had a lot of good talks this past week. One thing he seemed to be afraid of is that his momma would become the boys' momma too. I reassured him that I am Joshua's momma and the boys have their own momma. He also wanted to be reassured that their momma would never be his momma, that they each have their own homes, their own toys, etc...
Early this week he suggested that his friends come to his house. So we set it up!
I was not sure how it would go. He has never had to share his toys with kids his own age before and he was working on sorting all the other issues as well.
But... he had a blast! The boys all played so nicely! Joshua shared his toys like a champ! It was so much fun to see them all together happy and healthy!
Take a look...
I know most of the pictures are blurry or of their backs. Three busy little boys are hard to catch with a camera! But what a miracle to witness these smiling, goofy boys playing in my home. Safe. Loved. Healthy. HOME!
