Love

Love is unexplainable. It can cause people be happy or sad. It can cause you to laugh or cry. Love is the sun in our sky, yet the darkness that covers the Earth. The only thing about love that isn’t a mystery, is you know when it’s there. When I met the children at CPO, right away I could feel the love. Love is what pulled us together, and made me create a bond with every single child there. It inspires me to shovel dirt into a bucket in 95 degree weather. When I was sick with a fever and throat infection all I could think about were the children. I felt bad that I couldn’t help teach them or make their living conditions more comfortable. Although I could hardly swallow without grimacing in pain and was sweating like crazy, I was putting the children’s needs before my own. That is love. Saturday afternoon, Sarat and I were hanging out on the stage, drawing and making origami. I could feel our hearts beating with one another in perfect rhythm. The wind was blowing just enough to wipe the sweat off of our faces, cooling us down. I could here the roosters cocka-doodle-dooing under the stage and heard other small children giggling. Sarat grabbed my notebook and took my pen. He flipped to an empty page and started writing something. I looked away and saw smiling children everywhere. A warm calming feeling came over me and ran through my body. I felt peaceful at that moment, like there was not a care in the world. I looked back to Sarat, he pushed my notebook into my lap and scooted closer to me. The paper read “I love you” in Khmer and English. My eyes got glassy and lumps in my throat started to appear. I never knew that three words could mean so much and impact me so greatly. Although Sarat and I speak different languages and come from completely different worlds, we have an unbreakable bond that will always be intact. I believe that love is the most powerful feeling. It can build you up or break you down. It can be your darkness or your light. Love can bring people together and connect them for the remainder of their lives. The children at the orphanage have given me an incredibly large amount of love. They have made me realize that you don’t have to know someone for years and years before you can love them. There are no rules to love, you either love someone or you don’t. You can’t force or pressure love, it comes naturally. I love the children at the orphanage and because I do, I will do anything in my power to make sure they live a happy life.