Forever Connected

I sleep in a pillowtop bed with a warm down comforter and contoured pillow….she sleeps on the hard floor with no blanket
I heat things up in a microwave – she heats food over an open fire
I dine on asparagus and filet minon, goat cheese or fresh tomatoes – she eats rice and has a bag of flour and maybe some fish if someone catches them that day
I wash my laundry on sanitary cycle in my upright washing machine – she scrubs her clothes in a bin and hangs them to dry, never really getting them clean
I sit in a glider on my patio by the fire pit to relax – she squats and uses her heels as a chair while she cooks over her open fire to feed her large family
My hair smells of smoke from roasting marshmallows – her hair smells of smoke from surviving
I drive my car – she walks barefoot over rocky coral
I brush my teeth every day – she uses her finger and water (unless someone has given her some toothpaste)
I drink purified and bottled water – she drinks water she collected from the last rain
I wash my hands with antibacterial soap – she takes a shower from a bucket of rainwater
I forget to turn off the lights when I leave the room – her light is the sun, when it goes down, the light is off
I love a child with all my heart – she loves a child with all her heart

We are two women from such different places, but are forever connected. I love this woman with all my heart and soul. I will carry her with me in my heart and long for the next time I see her. I will raise her son to be my own, but never forget how she is so much a part of him. I will look at him and see her face. I see her nose, her brilliant smile, even her toes. Rickson is so much of Elina. I have learned so much from her. I am changed because of her. I have witnessed the ultimate love for a child. She trusts me with her child. I will raise him to know her and to love her. I am leaving my heart with her…