Well, the goodbyes have begun and each one is harder than the next. Yesterday I had to say good bye to the younger kids, and boy was that difficult. I am going to miss all of the little hugs and kisses from them, but they sure made me feel loved yesterday. From "adios" to "thank you's" to kisses to a big ole group hug that was so strong I fell over, it was by far a perfect goodbye. These kids have made this summer one that I will never forget. I am so thankful for their openness to accepting me and letting me be a part of their lives in the past two months. Every single kid gave me one last hug before getting on the bus to leave. Watching that bus pull off hurt a little bit more than it usually does, knowing that it would probably be almost a year before I saw them again. I know that they are going to be doing great things in the hands of some pretty great people, but part of me wishes I could stay longer. Then, today I had to say good bye to the older kids, and even though they aren't as open as the little kids, they still showered me with lots of hugs and kisses and even gifts. The kids lined up with letters spelling out "we love you" in spanish and when I walked around the corner they all screamed it at me....needless to say my heart melted into a thousand pieces. I honestly expected the day with the younger kids to be harder, but not gonna lie, the older ones were definitely the hardest. These kids connected with me and we grew together this summer and telling them goodbye was the hardest one. But let me tell you, telling the teachers and the kitchen workers bye hurt my heart big time. I have so enjoyed working alongside all these strong women these past two weeks and have encouraged me in so many ways to be a better person and to not be scared to try things. I am so thankful for their patience when it came to my Spanish because I know there were plenty of times where my Spanish made no sense, but they helped me every step of the way and we laughed about it in the end. Goodbyes are the hardest, but these are only a goodbye until next time. I am o thankful for everything that has happened the past few days, but this girl is ready to be home. Get ready America, ya girl is coming home.
