For many of my kids, I've come to learn their home lives and have been entertained with tales from treasured family weekends and various city adventures. But for many of the children in the Tenderloin, their time away from their school can be quite unpredictable. Several technically belong to the state of California and are ushered from foster home to foster home. They may also disappear from school without any trace of a goodbye or return after an absence shadowed in darker secrets that I'll sadly never know.
It's my first year at this location and when I was first prepped for it I was gently advised to try and "bring sunshine to their darker backgrounds." Each day with them is always unique and changes based upon class attendance. Yesterday's group had a combination of faces from my very first class and a handful of newer kids who I met over the last few weeks. After reading to a small group that craved cuddles and stories, many of the kids "performed" some pieces they had been working on. All of which were from the "Chipmunks II: The Squeakquel". And consisted of them dancing and singing with a CD of popular songs sung by crazy high voices. So obviously, it was awesome.
Though when I made my final goodbyes, a part of me struggled to hold back tears. I don't know if I 'll ever see any of these children again. I'm not sure what the summer holds for them or how much longer they'll be in San Francisco. I wanted to hold their small sticky hands and look into their big eyes and tell them to hang in there. That someone is thinking about them and routing for them. That I will continue to do so. And to thank them for the laughs. The hugs. For being stronger than I am. They may have darker home issues but those kids carry their own sunshine and I'm honored to have felt the warmth of it.
Luckily, the other part of me was able to applaud their brilliant Squeakquel acts and smile one last smile before I left. Leave it to cartoon chipmunks to help me pull it together.
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