La Multi Ani Marius! That's how they say it in Romanian, and today is Marius' birthday. I wish I could post the pictures I have of him. Those of you who followed my time in Romania might remember me writing about him. This was the little guy in the wheelchair that was obssessed with cars, would flail his arms and scream out of excitement when he saw people he liked, and who stole the heart of every BYU intern who worked with him. When I worked with him he was 16, though from his size and stature you might guess he was 8 or 9, or younger. He couldn't speak other than asking for water ("apa"), but he expressed love and appreciation in a way I'd never experienced.
I don't even know how to begin to describe him. He loved to get out of his wheelchair to crawl around, and especially loved sitting in your lap. Often when we were outside I would push him to a set of steps where I could sit and he could lay his head down on my leg while we watched the other kids play. It really made his day if I took him outside to the front of the orphanage where he could watch the cars whizz by. If he knew we were on our way outside he would get SO excited, and his anticipation was enough to make my day!
Marius was one of the most affectionate people I've ever known, and I feel so incredibly blessed to have felt his spirit for the short time I was there. I miss him! I think there are many BYU students that have worked with him through the semesters that miss him! And I worry about him. Now that he is older he is unable to stay in the orphanage and from what other students have said he was moved to another home for handicapped adults. I remember hearing descriptions of this place while I was there, and I have to try to not think about him in that setting.
I doubt if anyone will celebrate with him in Romania today, so I'm celebrating his amazing life here. Happy Birthday Marius. Te iubesc!
***For anyone who's interested I added the BYU Romania blog to my list. It's talks about the program and has some pretty profound footage. If you know anyone at BYU who might be interested please pass the info along! They are always recruiting!***
5 comentarii:
I remember hearing about Marius and the amazing experiences you had with all those precious kids. You are one of the most amazing people I know. And I know that someday those kids will run up to you, free from their handicaps, and hug and kiss you.
She amazes me, too, Else.
Every time I hear you talk about those kids, it makes me cry. And then reading it here (while at work, mind you) I'm crying again. And then I go and read the comment from Else, and that really made me cry more!
Since the kids probably can't tell you, I'm sure they would be telling you this too, but I hope you know that I feel truly blessed to have such an amazing person as a friend, and I'm sure all those kids whose lives you touched would say the same thing.
So I see you've joined the bog wagon. . .
blog
Trimiteți un comentariu