Goodbyes

This sweet little man has taken a piece of my heart with his soulful eyes and beautiful smile. It always surprises me how hard leaving can be and it’s never the people you would initially expect. I never got the chance to tell this little guy in Thai that I was leaving, but he seemed to know clinging to me like a monkey, legs and arms wrapped around me for the entire workshop. When anyone else would work with him he would always reach back for me, and I took him for rides while he guided my steps. To the fence so that we could pick little flowers and take them back to the home or to the sink to wash our hands. He took my hands in his and scrubbed them with soap like a little grown up, tsking over my cut and wiping it so clean it hurt. When it was time to finally say goodbye, his eyes welled up with tears and he kissed both my cheeks and forehead. As we headed to the van, he stood by the fence looking so sad and desolate I had to go back to give his salty cheeks one last kiss. There is no easy way to say goodbye.