Abram's List

When people here ask me what my job was back home, I have a pretty standard answer; it goes a little like this:

“Era la niñera por el chico más precioso del mundo.”

(I was a nanny for the most precious child in the world).

It’s a pretty strong statement, and it’s also kind of a lie.  In reality, I was a nanny for several equally wonderful children; and furthermore, I don’t know every child in the world, so I don’t have the credentials to make this claim.

However, when I do make this statement, I’m usually referring to one little boy in particular- Abram.

Abram!

Hmm yes, that’s not exactly fair, but let me try to explain it.  I’m not playing favorites; he’s just very, very special.  For one, he’s two and a half, which is a great age for so many reasons.  And for another, he has a “list”.

The first couple of days I was watching Abram, I was a little confused about this “list”.  You see, he would just stop in the middle of what he was doing and start naming people.

“Mama, Daddy, Eden, Kodi, Donna…”  and the list goes on.

It took me awhile to realize it, but I finally understood that he was just stopping, and naming the people he loves.

You have to agree with me- that has to be one of the most precious things you’ve ever heard of, right?

While I’ve been here, and while I was preparing to leave, I’ve been surrounded by a tremendous amount of support and love and generosity.  I felt it before I left, and I feel it all the time now- whether it’s through messages I get from home or from fellow Yagms around the globe, through prayers, or through the new people who have become my community here.  Being away from the familiarity of this season is hard, but it is made easier by this web that has been spun around me by all the people I am blessed to know.  This Christmas season, I wanted to come up with a way to show my gratitude to all of you, and the most sincere thing I can come up with is this:

I feel like Abram.  At any given point of any given day, I just want to stop and name you all, and name out loud how grateful I am that this list continues to grow.

You are all on my “Abram’s List”.  Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Abrazos,

Kari